Emo Angel
by xotakux2002x
Summary: AU fic. itachi comes from a less than loving home, and lives in a less than understanding world. kisame is new to the school, and is lonely. the two become attached, but how far can it go? kisaita yaoi, dark
1. prologue

The sun was only just beginning to rise as Kisame climbed out of his bed and began dressing. Ordinarily, he wouldn't have gotten out of bed until the last possible minute, but today was an exception. He was about to start at a new school, and he needed to do something before he walked into the building.

The teen shuffled through his apartment, grabbing jeans, a shirt, a jacket, and shoes, which were scattered all over the place. He really needed to clean this place up; then again, why bother. He was the only person living in this one bedroom, one bathroom apartment. Besides, it wasn't like he ever had company over that needed to be impressed.

The shark walked into the kitchen and grabbed two slices of leftover pizza from the fridge, eating one while he looked for his house keys. He found them on top of the fridge (no telling how they ended up there in the first place) and walked out of the house, locking the door and pocketing his keys before walking down the hall of his apartment building.

No one else had awoken yet. Kisame could always tell when people were home, what moods they were in, and what had happened that day by the sounds he heard coming from their apartments. Usually there were a few screams, or a child crying. Sometimes he heard cheers when a person got a paycheck, or a child did well in school. If an apartment door was left open, it meant someone in the family had recently died, so friends and family were welcome to pop in and console the mourning family. All in all, his building wasn't too bad.

Kisame walked down the two flights of steps that were at the end of the hall in apartment building, stepping out into the street. Not many people were up and moving yet; the street lights were still on, and normal traffic was absent, with only an occasional car driving down the street. Kisame was grateful for this; he really didn't like people crowding around him. He was always guaranteed to run in to someone that hadn't seen his blue skin before and would stare at him.

The teen walked down the street, going a few blocks before turning and heading down another street. He stopped in front of a brick wall, topped with barbed wire to keep intruders out. The shark reached up, carefully pulling apart two pieces of barbed wire that he'd cut years ago, still unrepaired. Kisame quickly hopped the fence, and the next instant was standing in a graveyard.

Kisame failed to see why people thought graveyards were so creepy. Most people probably thought of dark churchyards with jagged headstones poking out here and there, names unreadable, with spooks lurking at the edge of the church grounds, waiting to get you. They rarely, (if ever), thought about a city graveyard, with headstones lined up in neat rows, names readable for anyone who cared enough to look at the stones. The whole area was fenced in, spiked fences or barbed wire set up around it to keep intruders out. Not creepy in the least. Just very depressing.

The shark walked along the rows of tombstones he'd grown to know so well, finally stopping in front of a small marker. His eyes read the words on the stone, even though the inscription had been committed to memory.

**Karin Hoshigaki. Beloved mother, taken before her time.**

Short, sweet, and to the point. Just like his mom.

Kisame sat down on the grass in front of the headstone, remembering his mother. After he'd been born, his father had just taken off. He probably couldn't endure having a blue-skinned child for a kid. His mother, on the other hand, failed to see anything wrong with Kisame, and raised him on her own. Times were tough, and occasionally his mom would snap (she had a terribly short temper, after all) but she was still a great mother. It had just been him, her, and a housecat.

Kisame reached up to his cheeks and ran his fingers over his cheeks, feeling the scars that rested on his face. It was that stupid cat's fault that he was here now.

It had been a fall afternoon. His mother was telling him to come inside, before the sun went down. Kisame, on the other hand, was more interested in finding the cat and bringing it inside, before it had to spend all night in the cold.

He'd finally caught the animal, and had scooped it up. Unfortunately, the cat was in a bad mood and lashed out at him, scraping both of Kisame's cheeks before the boy finally dropped him. "Stupid cat! Get back here!" he called, chasing the animal into the street.

The boy heard a car horn and turned in time to see the car heading straight for him. Suddenly, he felt something shove him forward, sending him flying to the other side of the road as the car's brakes screeched out.

Kisame watched in silence as the vehicle collided with his mother. She'd pushed him out of the way.

The next few hours were a blur; cops talking with him, paramedics making sure he was ok, reporters talking about this "tragic accident", as they referred to it as. Sometime in all this mayhem, the cat had escaped. Go figure.

That had been when Kisame was ten. Since then, he'd been bounced around from foster home to foster home, never staying more than eight months in any place. When he hit 18, he had finally had enough and got an apartment of his own, using the money that had been set aside for him after his mother's demise. He'd have to get a job soon enough, but for now he was just going to enjoy being on his own.

"Hey mom," the teen began, staring at the headstone. "I'm going to start at a new school. Again.

I'm a senior this year, so I shouldn't have too many problems. Maybe I'll make a few friends." Yeah right. "I'll see you later, alright?" No answer. Kisame was used to it.

The shark rose to his feet, surprised to see that while he had been sitting there, thinking and talking, the sun had risen, and he could now hear the sounds of cars honking, people yelling, and a few dogs barking. The city was awake and on the move. He'd better get to school.


	2. part 1

The high school was nothing special in Kisame's opinion; just a regular two-story building, filled with your average mixture of preps, jocks, thespians, Goths, and outcasts. Naturally, Kisame didn't fit in with any of them.

The day was relatively uneventful; he had to endure the normal stares, whispers, and pointed fingers, but that was it. He did his best to ignore it, which wasn't too hard, since he was used to this kind of treatment.

His classes were nothing out of the ordinary, nor were his teachers or classmates. By the end of third period, Kisame had decided that life in this school would be nothing short of completely and totally monotonous. Still, despite how calm and almost boring his day had been, Kisame was still dreading lunch.

He hated lunch period. He always had, and probably always would. No matter how many times he had to endure it, he never got used to the feeling of standing in the middle of the lunch room, looking around for an empty table to sit at, praying that he could avoid the stares of his peers for just a little while.

Well, lunch time finally came, and Kisame was searching for a table, trying to find somewhere to sit. It looked like most tables were already filling up with teenagers and their friends, and he highly doubted anyone would willingly sit with him.

As he was about to walk over to a table of theater kids and ask if he could eat with them, he spotted a semi-empty table in the back of the lunchroom. The only person residing at the circular table was a male, dressed in all black, his ink colored hair pulled back in a ponytail.

Seeing his chance, Kisame crossed the lunchroom and sat down beside the male, praying he wouldn't be thrown out. "You mind if I sit here?"

"Hn."

What kind of answer was that? The teen hadn't even looked up from his lunch when Kisame sat down by him. Still, a 'hn' was better than a no, and Kisame had learned not to be too picky with people who could tolerate him.

The teens were silent for a while, picking at their food. Kisame was desperately trying to think of something to say; this awkward silence was almost as bad as sitting with kids who'd stare at him the whole time. Almost. "My name's Kisame Hoshigaki. What's yours?"

"Itachi Uchiha." Two words. That was an accomplishment.

"Itachi, why isn't anyone else sitting with you?"

"I hate people. Everyone around here knows that." Ouch. "You're new, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Kisame replied. "I just sat here because no one else was around. I don't do so well with people."

"Why?"

"If you'd look up from your lunch tray, you'd know why."

Itachi finally allowed himself to look over the shark, eyes tracing over each detail of Kisame's body. At the very least, the shark expected wide eyes, a slight gasp, maybe even a cry of horror. But Itachi's face showed no emotion; his dull, onyx colored eyes didn't even widen. "You're blue," the weasel stated plainly.

Kisame was tempted to make a snappy sarcastic remark, but decided to let it go. "Exactly."

"I fail to see the problem."

The shark's mind shut down then. Was this kid serious? Maybe he was just stupid. As soon as Kisame's mind got over the shock, he began speaking, trying to explain the problem to the teen. "Itachi, most people aren't blue. It's extremely weird for me to look like this. In fact, you're probably the first person that hasn't spazzed out when you saw me."

"That's their problem."

Kisame sighed. Clearly this guy just didn't get it. "Itachi, people have a tendency to freak out whenever they see someone like me. My body's a weird color, I've got scars on my face, and I'm taller than most people around here."

"All of which I've noticed."

"But most people aren't as calm as you. As soon as they see a freak like me, they put up their defenses to try and keep me away."

"Humans are shallow. It's their nature to be like that. They're so wrapped up in their boring, pathetic lives that they'll freak out when anything that threatens to disrupt their day to day living comes along, even attempting to destroy it or drive it away. People are just like that, Kisame."

"You're not?"

"Hn." Kisame couldn't think of anything to say after that, so the two of them once again lapsed into silence.

A few minutes later, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch period. Kisame waited until most of the teens had dumped their lunch trays and exited the room before going to throw his own trash away and leave. No point in getting caught in a crowd of loud, pushy teenagers if you could avoid it, right?

As he was walking past the lunch table again to exit the room, he felt a hand suddenly grab his wrist, and looked down to see Itachi holding on to him.

The weasel was looking to the side, the same bored, unreadable expression painted on his face. "Kisame…if you don't have somewhere to sit at lunch tomorrow, go ahead and sit with me again. You aren't as annoying as most of the people around here." Without offering any more explanation, the emo looking teen walked off, presumably to throw away his own trash before going back to class.

The shark walked down the hall, very close to going into shock. Not only had someone allowed him to sit at their lunch table and not freaked out when they saw him, but that same person had invited him to sit at his table tomorrow.

If Kisame didn't know better, he'd say he was well on his way to making a friend.


	3. part 2

Itachi walked down the hall, heading straight to his locker. When he arrived at his destination, he shut his eyes and let out a sigh.

His locker had been spray painted. Again.

He quickly dialed in the combination, grabbing his books and shutting the locker as quickly as he could, eyes looking over the new barrage of insults. He was used to this, and the words didn't really bother him all that much anymore. The poor spelling of the vandals, however, did. He was tempted to take out a marker and make a few corrections, but that would only encourage them. He shook his head and walked away, hoping the janitor would take care of the problem soon.

To Itachi, every class was exactly the same. The only difference was what the teacher's were going on and on about. He spent most of his time staring out the window, waiting for the bell to ring and signal that his torture was that much closer to being over-

"Mr. Uchiha!" The weasel turned to look at the front of the class, staring at his teacher. "I'm hoping that you found the answer to this problem outside that window, because you're going to tell the class what the solution to this equation is!"

Itachi looked at the board for a grand total of five seconds before saying, "X equals all real numbers."

"Incorrect," the teacher said, a smug smile on his face. "X equals three."

Rolling his eyes, Itachi rose to his feet and walked to the front of the room, grabbing the chalk out of his teacher's hand and writing the equation on the board, step by step. When he stepped away from the work, it showed that he had been right. The teacher had been an error in the first step of the problem.

"…It appears you are correct, Mr. Uchiha," the man spat out. "Tell me, would you prefer to be the one who stands up here and teaches the lessons, since you can apparently do them so much better than I?"

"Hn," Itachi replied, shuffling back to his seat, trying to ignore the comments the other kids were making.

"Showoff."

"Why does he even show up if he knows this stuff? He should just stay home."

"It figures he's smart. After all, he got away with murder."

The last comment made Itachi clench his teeth, hands balling into fists. Somehow, he was able to keep his temper in check, and merely sat back down in his seat, eyes looking out the window once more.

Itachi wouldn't say that he looked forward to lunch, but it was probably the only period he didn't dread. The reason for that was new kid named Kisame.

Kisame was the only semi-tolerable teen in this whole accursed place. He didn't ramble on and on like some people did, and he didn't bother the weasel too much. An occasional question here and there, maybe a statement that was a bit odd, but that was it.

Itachi wasn't sure what he considered Kisame to be. Maybe not a friend; but he definitely wasn't one of those people that Itachi could shove to the back of his mind and block out. Overall, he liked the shark. That was about all he could say for now.

"Hey, you."

Itachi inwardly rolled his eyes as he shut his locker and turned to see the six teens surrounding him. Their leader, a kid name Suzu, walked forward, smiling at the Uchiha. "Did you enjoy the little message we wrote you earlier?" he asked, grinning.

"No. You're spelling's atrocious," Itachi said, hoping to shock the teen long enough to escape.

Suzu, however, was unfazed as he stepped towards the Uchiha. "Sorry about that. Next time we call you a fag, we'll be sure to double check the spelling. That better?"

"Hn," Itachi said, trying to run out of the circle, only to be held in place by two cronies. Suzu cracked his knuckles and punched the Uchiha in the gut, making Itachi slump forward. The weasel was practically seeing red. Suzu knew that in a one-on-one fight, Itachi could take him, so he had his peons hold the Uchiha in place. Coward.

"What's wrong?" Suzu asked, tilting the weasel's head up to look at him. "Can't fight back?" And at that moment, Suzu made a crucial mistake.

He assumed that Itachi was above biting him.

"OWW!" he screamed as the weasel's teeth dug into his wrist. "Let go of me, you freak!" he yelled, slamming his free fist into the weasel's head over and over again.

Itachi ignored the command and scraped his lower canines over Suzu's wrist, nicking the vein. One he tasted blood in his mouth, he released the teen, watching as he stumbled back, eyes wide in shock. "I'm bleeding!" He screamed, face paling.

Itachi spat the blood in his mouth in the eyes of one crony, before kicking the other in the gut. He immediately bolted down the hall, determined to get away from them before Suzu recovered.

Itachi stumbled into his room, still slightly out of breath. He'd learned from past experience that Suzu and his gang would follow him all the way home, so he hadn't stopped until he'd hit his doorstep. He'd arrived home to find an empty house as usual. No surprise. He really doubted his parents even wanted to come home anymore.

He shut the door to his room, locking it more out of habit than actually wanting privacy. His parents and brother rarely came into his room anymore, unless they absolutely had to.

The Uchiha walked into his bathroom and pulled out a bottle of painkillers, frowning when he noticed that several pills were gone. His mother must have been raiding his medicine cabinet again. The woman was always complaining about a headache, or a toothache, or something else hurting, so she absolutely had to have Itachi's painkillers instead of using her own. He swallowed two capsules, then exited the room, medicine bottle still in his hands.

The Uchiha set the medicine bottle on his bedside table, before opening the table's drawer and pulling out a ratty old notebook. It was his List for Living.

Itachi had actually taken the trouble of writing down the pros and cons of his life, each in their own separate columns. The first dozen or so pages were full of things that had been crossed out on both lists. It was only when he hit the middle of the notebook that Itachi's thoughts were brought up to date.

Right now, the list of cons was much longer than the pros. In fact, the only pro he had was "I could actually do something with my life if I wanted to." Time to fix that.

Pulling a pen out of his drawer, Itachi wrote down, "May have made a friend named Kisame." Two pros. Itachi had to smile for a quick instant before replacing the pen and notebook and shutting the drawer. He stretched out on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He probably needed to eat dinner soon, but he wasn't very hungry. Then again, when was he?

Itachi sat up and rose from the bed, deciding he may as well he. He needed to add that to his list; he had a tiny appetite, so he'd never have to worry about getting fat. That would be three things on his list. Three things to help him get through another day.

Itachi couldn't help but think that if the pro list ever got down to zero, he might die.


	4. part 3

For the first time in his life, Kisame didn't hate going to school.

His classes were boring, repetitive, and geared towards the kids who couldn't have pointed out their home country on a globe if they were given a map and directions. The teachers were nothing short of disinterested, self-centered kids who refused to grow up and had just taken this job to have the two months of summer vacation that came with the job. And if the cafeteria food didn't make you sick, having to stay in the same room as some of these teenagers surely would. Still, Kisame didn't hate his new school. He blamed this on Itachi.

Lunch was only thirty minutes, but it was the best thirty minutes Kisame had all day. Despite the Uchiha's lack of interest in him, chatting with him, or anything having to do with Kisame, the shark was inexplicably drawn to him. Little by little, he was able to learn about the weasel. Just small things here and there.

The first thing he learned was that the Uchiha had an insatiable sweet tooth. Half the things on his lunch tray were guaranteed to be made of sugar, or sugar coated. How Itachi managed to keep his teeth so white when he ate all these sweets would forever be a mystery to the shark.

The next thing he learned was that the Uchiha rarely ever spoke, and when he did it was usually just a monosyllabic answer. That was the third thing Kisame learned; how to tell Itachi's yes 'hns' and no 'hns' apart.

Slowly, Itachi began to let Kisame know more and more about him. Like how he had one little brother who hated him, and two parents that he hated. Kisame told him he lacked siblings, and his father was long gone. He told the weasel about living on his own, and even a little about the other people in his apartment. All in all, their friendship was going rather well, in the shark's opinion.

"…So that's about it, mom," Kisame said, sitting in front of his mother's headstone. Several weeks had passed since he'd last spoken to her, so he thought a visit was overdue.

"I still haven't told him that you're dead, though," Kisame said. "I'm not sure how he'd react."

"Most people would say it's morbid to talk to a dead person over their grave. Crazy even."

The shark twisted around to look up at Itachi. The Uchiha was standing there, an unreadable expression on his face. "So, is this your mom?" he asked, sitting down beside the shark.

"Uh-huh."

"…"

"Itachi, why are you here?"

"I'm visiting a grave as well. My best friend Shisui's buried here."

"…I'm sorry."

".."

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened? Did he die in a car crash, or-"

"He shot himself."

"What?!"

Itachi brought his knees to his chest, staring down at the ground, lips set in a grim line. Kisame began to feel uncomfortable, and looked away. "If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to."

"Everyone else knows what happened. You may as well hear it too.

Shisui and I had always been really close. And then one day in middle school, he asked me out. I accepted, and for a time, things were good.

But after a while, the other kids started making fun of us. They said it was weird, the kind of relationship we had. It didn't bother me, but their words ate away at Shisui. So he finally broke up with me.

Needless to say, I was furious that he'd just dumped me because he didn't like what everyone else was saying about us. I started ignoring him, then just avoiding him. So did a lot of other people. Shisui didn't realize it, but when the kids were teasing us, the only one on his side was me. So now, we were both alone."

Itachi's hands clenched into fists, and his voice became much quieter as he went on. "He started acting distant, and didn't even bother going to class most of the time. And then one day, he didn't show up at school. I was a little worried; we'd been friends for years, after all. So I went to his house.

The door was open, and neither one of his parents were home from school. So I just walked in and went straight up to his room." Itachi shut his eyes and stayed quiet for a few minutes before going on. "There was a puddle of blood, and a gun in his hand.

I called the police and everything, but there was nothing they could do. Since I was the only one in the house, and since I discovered the body, they started questioning me, getting my fingerprints, everything. Everyone started saying I killed Shisui because he broke up with me. Even when they determined it was suicide, not everyone believed it.

Sometimes, I just come here to see his grave. It's the only time it feels like he's really dead, you know?" Itachi asked, looking at Kisame.

The shark nodded. "She died because I was acting stupid," he muttered, making Itachi raise a brow, intrigued.

"I was outside, and I wanted to bring this stupid cat inside the house before it froze. I ran into the street, and a car was coming right at me. My mom shoved me out of the way, but the car hit her instead. She never had a chance. It's different, but in a way, I guess we both played a part in their deaths."

"…"

"…"

"You're right; it is different," Itachi said, rising to his feet. "But thanks."

"Hmm?" Now Kisame rose to his feet. "For what?"

"…I'm not sure. But thanks." Itachi walked off then, feeling better on the inside than he had in a long while.


	5. part 4

A few days after their chat in the graveyard, Kisame decided that not only was Itachi his friend, but probably the only friend he was likely to make while here. Furthermore, from what the Uchiha told him, Itachi didn't have any other friends besides Kisame. That being said, he needed to make an attempt to be around the Uchiha sometime other than the thirty minutes of lunch they spent together.

Currently lunch period was half over, and as usual the two of them had lapsed into silence. Kisame had spent the entire time trying to figure out exactly how he could ask the Uchiha to come over to his pace without making it sound like a date. "Just spit it out already."

Kisame turned to stare at his partner, whose attention was still focused on his lunch tray. "Just say what you want to say," the Uchiha repeated. "If it's too hard for you to say, just let it go. You've been thinking all lunch period about this, and it's annoying me."

He had to hand it to the Uchiha; he may have no social skills, but he could read people like a book. "Itachi, can you come over to my place for a while tonight?"

"Doubtful. My parents hate it when I make last minute plans." Well there went that idea. "But…is there any way I could come over tomorrow night?"

"Yeah. I don't see why not," Kisame replied, feeling rather happy on the inside. Itachi had at least made an effort to come over to the shark's house. That was a good sign.

"_Besides," _he thought as the lunch bell rang, _"I'll need time to clean up my place."_

"Father."

"Hmm? What is it Itachi?" Fugaku Uchiha turned around in his chair to stare at his elder son.

"I need to go over to a friend's house tomorrow."

"What for?"

"School work."

"Who is this friend?" Fugaku asked suspiciously. "And if it's just school work, why can't he just come over here?"

"Because Sasuke will bother us. His name's Kisame Hoshigaki."

"I've never heard of him."

"He's new."

"Fine. But you had better be doing school work. If your grades slip, your whole life will go down the drain, you know that, right?"

"Yes father."

"You've got a haircut next week, by the way. Honestly, it's bad enough you always wear black, but that hair length is too much…" Itachi had already walked out of the room, having completely lost interest in his father after he'd been given permission to go. As for the haircut; he'd skip it, just like every other appointment his father made for him.

He trudged down the hall, passing his little brother's room. He hardly ever saw the kid anymore; probably because Sasuke made a point of avoiding Itachi. The kid hated him for some unknown reason, and in all honesty Itachi really didn't want to find out what his brother held against him. As far as the weasel was concerned, Sasuke was just another person that hated him.

Somehow the weasel made it into the bathroom, and was currently sitting on the edge of the bathtub, sleeve rolled up. He was only vaguely aware of the razor blade sliding across his skin, adding another line to his ever-growing collection of scars on his wrist.

As the blood and pain left his body, he began thinking about the kids at school, who thought it was so funny when a person started cutting. How ridiculous it was when those "emo kids" went into the bathroom and cut themselves.

Here's hoping they found this funny.

Kisame had managed to finish cleaning his house in a matter of hours. He was actually glad he'd taken the time to clean up his house, if only for one reason.

He'd found his mother's ring.

His mother wasn't much of a feminine person; she'd always take jeans and a t-shirt over a dress, and she had no problem playing with action figures and cars when Kisame was little, as opposed to dolls or tea sets. The only thing she ever kept on her that was the least bit feminine was a small gold ring, with a little diamond in the center of it. Kisame had never bothered asking where she'd gotten it from; he doubted it was a wedding or engagement ring, so maybe it had belonged to her mother. It could have even been a birthday gift for all he knew. The point was, aside from a few old photos, that ring was all he had to remember his mother by.

Right after her death, he'd carried that thing around with him everywhere. Then, he'd settled for having it on his bedside table. Then in the drawer of his bedside table. Finally, it had just disappeared into the mess of his house, never to be seen again, until the shark began cleaning again.

The ring wasn't the only thing he'd found. He'd managed to find several shirts that had been deemed gone for good, his cell phone, and the TV remote. All in all, the cleaning had proved most fruitful.

He quietly walked into his room, shutting off the lights as he went. At least his house was clean enough for company now.

"You really do live alone, don't you?"

"How could you tell?"

The two of them had just walked into the apartment, and Itachi was getting his first look at the shark's home.

"Everything has its own place. Everything is organized. If another person lived here, at least one or two things would be messy, since you either wouldn't know where to put them, or hadn't noticed them being out of place."

"I don't know whether to be frightened or amazed by your mind," Kisame said, smiling as he shut the door. Itachi merely walked further into the house, looking around. "Hey, you hungry?" Kisame called out.

"Hn." The shark decided to take that as a yes and grabbed his cell phone, ordering a pizza. It had come down to either having a house phone, or a cell phone. The way Kisame looked at it, a house phone had to stay in the house, but a cell phone could stay in the house or in your pocket. Which do you think he picked?

Twenty minutes later the teens were sitting on the couch, munching on pizza and watching old Monty Python reruns. "Dang, it's late," Kisame said, looking at the clock. "Hey, do you just wanna crash here for the night?"

"Hn," Itachi replied, knowing that if he went home this late, his father would no doubt yell at him for waking them all up in the middle of the night.

Minutes later, the shark had walked to the closet in the hall and retrieved a blanket for the weasel to use. "Night, Itachi," he called out before going into his room.

The weasel didn't reply, instead choosing to snuggle into the couch, pulling the blanket tightly around him. For some reason, he felt better on the inside than he had since their graveyard visit. "Night, Kisame," he whispered before going to sleep.


	6. part 5

As days turned into weeks, and Kisame began inviting Itachi more and more frequently. The Uchiha was always able to convince his father to let him go over to Kisame's place, either for a few hours or an overnight. His grades remained high, making Fugaku truly believe that Kisame and he were doing work for school whenever he went to the shark's house. Oh, how easy it was to manipulate an adult's mind.

As these thoughts whirled through Itachi's head, he felt a hand grab his shoulder. Before he could process what was happening, his body was jerked back, then slammed into his locker. "Hey weasel." Itachi very nearly groaned in annoyance.

Suzu was back.

The teen spun Itachi around to look at him, glaring daggers at the weasel. "I bet you thought that was pretty clever. Biting me so you could run away like a coward, right?"

"Do you mind? I have to get to class." Suzu clenched his teeth, about to punch the Uchiha when a teacher walked by, giving Itachi the chance to escape. Another win for him, in a never ending battle. How hollow this victory felt.

"Class, we've got a new student joining us today." Kisame just continued to stare out the window.

He wasn't the least bit interested in who this new kid was. The shark's priorities were with Itachi right now; the weasel had been unusually quiet during lunch, not even bothering to answer Kisame's questions, or pretend to be interested in them. "I didn't know you were in here."

The shark spun around to see Itachi sitting beside him. "What are you doing in here?!"

"I'm the new student."

"What happened? I mean, why are you in my class? The semesters not even half over, but I thought it was too late to transfer classes-"

"I had issues with another kid in my class. They gave me a new schedule so I wouldn't have to put up with him," Itachi explained.

"Oh." The weasel didn't appear to want to say anymore about his transfer, so Kisame decided to let the matter drop.

Itachi, meanwhile, was silently grateful for this change. Not only was his schedule virtually free of Suzu now, but he actually had a class with Kisame. He needed to add this to his pro list when he got home.

After the bell rang, everyone filed out of the classroom as quickly as they could, eager to get home. School was over, and no one wanted to hang around longer then they had to. "See ya tomorrow, Itachi," Kisame said, leaving his friend behind.

Itachi dialed in the combination to his locker, quickly putting his books up before shutting the door once more. He turned around, intent on leaving the building, only to come face to face with Suzu. "Hey you."

The Uchiha tried to bolt, only to be grabbed by a crony and slammed into the hard concrete wall of the school. "Being a smartass really isn't good for your health, Itachi," Suzu stated, grinning at his captive. "C'mon," he told the peons, "we don't want to get blood all over the floor."

Kisame was busy heating up a can of soup when his phone began ringing. "Hello?"

"Kisame?"

Who else would it be? "Yeah Itachi?"

"Can I crash at your place tonight?"

"Um, well…my house is sort of a mess right now."

"…That's a problem."

"Why?"

"I can't go home in this shape."

Kisame's pulse quickened. "What happened?"

"Does your landlady mind blood on the carpet?"

Kisame ran to the door and flung it open, sticking his head out into the hallway. After a few seconds of searching, he found Itachi on the ground, leaning against the wall with a cell phone pressed to his ear.

For a few moments, all Kisame could do was gape at the bruised and bloody Uchiha. Seeing that his friend wasn't about to do anything soon, Itachi snapped his cell phone shut and tried to rise to his feet, wincing and sinking back to the ground before he even got halfway up.

The sight brought Kisame back to reality, and he quickly bent down, grabbing the weasel and helping Itachi to his feet. "I repeat, what happened?"

"I got beat up," Itachi spat out, a few droplets of blood falling to the floor as he spoke. Kisame shook his head and helped the weasel into his apartment, setting him down on a chair before running into the bathroom and grabbing a first aid kit.

A few minutes later the weasel was getting patched up, courtesy of Kisame. "This happen often?"

"Not this bad."

"But it happens. Can't you fight?"

"It was six to one, and they were mad."

"Makes sense. Ok, let me just get your arms patched up-"

The weasel instantly jerked away from Kisame's grasp, holding his arms against his chest. "I can do that."

"Itachi, I just want to-"

"I said, I can do it," Itachi growled softly, glaring at the shark. The look in his eyes was normally enough to make people back off. Unfortunately for him, Kisame seemed to be an exception to that rule. "Itachi, let me help you."

"No."

"Itachi, I'm going to look at your arms whether you want me to or not, so just give up." A short fight ensued with Kisame trying to get the weasel's jacket off and Itachi trying to keep it on. Itachi was in no shape to put up a decent fight after his beatings, though, and soon the jacket was on the floor.

At first, Kisame didn't notice the cuts on Itachi's wrist. When he finally spotted the red and white lines, however, his work froze, eyes glued to the cuts. As he continued to stare, Itachi felt his stomach knot. "Itachi…"

The Uchiha jumped to his feet and bolted for the door. Kisame wasn't about to let his friend run off in this shape and grabbed him a moment later, making Itachi cry out when the shark's arms put pressure on the bruises on his sides. "Itachi, calm down!"

"Let go!" the weasel ordered, trying to pull out of Kisame's grasp. The only thought going through his head was to get out of Kisame's apartment and get out of there NOW.

"Itachi, you're making it worse!" Kisame said, trying to reason with the Uchiha. If Itachi kept this up, he'd aggravate his injuries, and they might have to go to a hospital. Finally giving up on using reason to calm his friend, Kisame did the only thing he could think of.

He bent down and kissed Itachi.

Much to his relief, the kiss had the desired effect. Itachi froze, mind trying to process exactly what was going on. After a few moments Kisame pulled away, eye locked with the Uchiha's. "Now listen. I'm not going to do anything about your cuts, and I'm not going to tell anyone," Kisame said slowly, hoping to keep the weasel calm. "I just want to take care of your injuries. Alright?"

The weasel slowly nodded and allowed himself to be led back to the chair, where Kisame finished bandaging his wounds. He wasn't hungry, and Kisame had quite clearly lost his appetite, so the two of them decided to turn in early.

"Just lie on your stomach," Kisame ordered, draping a blanket over Itachi. "Your back has the most bruises, so there's no point in putting pressure on them."

"…"

"Look, just go to sleep. Ok?" When he didn't receive an answer, Kisame placed a hand on the Uchiha's head and gently began stroking Itachi's hair. "Ok?"

"Hn."

"Good. Now sleep," Kisame softly ordered, walking into his own room, leaving Itachi alone with his thoughts. It took a while, but finally they were both able to fall asleep.


	7. part 6

Itachi woke up the next morning to the sound of Kisame talking with someone. "Hello, Mr. Uchiha? My name's Kisame, and-well, I was actually calling about Itachi. He came home sick yesterday, and he's been throwing up nonstop. I think he should-there's no need to pick him up! He'll just make the rest of you sick!...Alright, I'll keep him home and make sure he studies. Illness is no excuse for slacking…yes, I'll send him home when he's well. Goodbye." The shark hung up and sighed, turning to look at Itachi. "Your old man's a real bastard, you know?"

"…"

"Itachi, I'm going to go to school now, so just stay home and do whatever you want. There's food in the fridge, and the remote's on the coffee table. Just don't move around too much, ok?"

"…"

"Will you at least say something?" Kisame asked, walking over to the couch and kneeling down by Itachi. He brushed a few loose hairs out of Itachi's face, running his eyes over the injured Uchiha. "You're making me worry."

Itachi reached up and grabbed the shark's hand, holding it against his face for a few moments before releasing it and rolling over. "I'm going back to sleep."

The shark smiled as he rose to his feet and exited the apartment.

Kisame hadn't realized how absolutely boring his day would be without Itachi around. It was true, they only had one class and lunch together, but that had at least given Kisame something to look forward to. Now, he had absolutely nothing to help him pass the time. Oh, what a wonderful morning this was turning into.

However, Kisame had to banish these thoughts from his mind as soon as the bell rang and he stepped into the high school hallway. He was determined to find out who had orchestrated the attack on Itachi. The shark wasn't exactly sure what he'd do once he found out who it was, but he could worry about the details later. Finding the guys responsible for his friend's injuries was the only thing he needed to worry about right now.

Unfortunately, this was proving to be one of those situations where it is easier said than done. No one was talking about the weasel, and there were no whispered conversations dropping hints of who had attacked Itachi. In fact, no one even seemed to notice that the weasel was absent today.

It was a bit upsetting, in all honesty. Was Kisame really the only one who cared what happened to Itachi?

Around noon, Itachi's grumbling stomach woke him up.

The weasel carefully sat up, wincing as his sore body was forced to move out of its semi-comfortable position. He could focus on the pain later. Now it was time to hunt for food.

The Uchiha slowly made his way into the kitchen, looking around as he went. This house had an almost empty feeling to it; like Kisame was ready to move out at anytime. There were no photos or pictures on the walls, and even the kitchen lacked decoration. It was sad, almost to the point of depressing.

Once he'd reached the fridge, Itachi peered around at the contents, trying to decide what sounded good for lunch. The only items in the fridge were a few slices of pizza, two semi-ripe bananas, and half a carton of milk. Apparently eating healthy wasn't high on Kisame's priority list.

The weasel settled on eating the two bananas, munching on them in front of the fridge before walking over to the garbage can and tossing the peels away. By now his body was really starting to ache; he wondered if the shark had any painkillers in his bathroom, but going there would involve walking to the point of the apartment furthest away from the couch. Itachi let out a sigh as he shuffled across the house, heading for the medicine cabinet.

Lunch period was in full swing, and for the first time in the school year Kisame was sitting alone. God, he really missed the weasel.

His mind hadn't strayed far from Itachi all day, and now his thoughts were on what the weasel was eating. He wasn't sure if Itachi liked bananas or pizza; really the shark should go grocery shopping sometime. Wandering around a supermarket for several hours listening to crying children and pricing food was so much fun, after all.

Kisame was almost glad when the lunch bell rang, signaling that he had to get back to class. He really just wanted this day to be over.

Itachi had finally managed to find a few painkillers and had downed them, praying that they would kick in quickly. But now, he was too sore to walk back across the apartment to the couch. Although…

The Uchiha walked out of the bathroom and looked to his left, staring at the door to Kisame's room. It was rather tempting, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to invade the shark's privacy like that. What should he do?

A shooting pain in his side made him decide to take the shark's room. If Kisame yelled at him later, he'd just say it was the shark's fault for leaving the medicine on the other side of the house. Moving ever so slowly, Itachi walked towards the door and opened it, entering Kisame's room.

The room was slightly messy, but other than that devoid of life, just like the rest of the house. Itachi trudged to the bed, pulling back the blankets and slowly climbing in, wincing as he was forced to bend his sore limbs. He snuggled into the pillow, which smelled like Kisame. Sort of a salty, rainy scent. As the weasel drifted off, he decided he really didn't care if Kisame yelled at him or not. This was way better than the couch.

"Itachi?" No answer.

The shark walked into his apartment, looking around for the weasel. He'd decided to go grocery shopping, and for some reason felt like asking the Uchiha if he wanted anything. "Itachi, where are you?"

When he didn't find the weasel in the kitchen or the living room, he began searching the rest of the house, eventually ending up outside the door to his room. "There's no way he'd go in here…" the shark grabbed the doorknob and slowly opened the door.

There was Itachi, curled up in his bed, sound asleep.

"…He looks like an angel…" Kisame slowly crossed the room, eventually stopping at the side of his bed. The shark grabbed Itachi's shoulder, gently shaking the weasel. "Itachi, wake up."

The Uchiha slowly opened his eyes, staring up at his friend. "What is it?" he asked, speech slurred by sleep.

"I'm going out for food. Want anything?"

"Hn."

"Ok, what?"

"Tylenol. You're out."

"That it?"

"Hn."

"Alright. Go back to sleep then." Kisame began walking away, only to have Itachi grab his wrist. The weasel slowly pulled himself up, still holding onto the shark's arm. "Something wrong?"

"…Kisame?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, Itachi."


	8. part 7

A few days later, Itachi gave Kisame his locker combination, so the shark could bring home his books. It was looking like the weasel was going to be out of commission for a while, a fact that the shark hated. Not only did he have to spend all day without Itachi around, but it was downright painful to see his only friend lying on the couch, covered in bruises and cuts.

Still, the shark couldn't be entirely upset. Having the weasel stay in his apartment helped ease the sharp loneliness he normally felt when he came home from school. Plus, he was learning more and more about the Uchiha. It was true what they said about having to live with someone to find out who they really were.

For example, Kisame found out that his new roommate had a dango fetish.

He'd known that Itachi like sweets, so when he'd gone grocery shopping, he'd picked up a few sticks of the sweet treat for his friend. When he'd arrived back at his apartment, Itachi had been curled up on the couch, sleeping peacefully. "Hey Itachi, I got something for you," Kisame said, walking over to the weasel and gently shaking him awake. The weasel blinked his eyes open, staring at the shark with a questioning look in his eye. "Here," Kisame said, showing him the dango and setting it on the coffee table. "I'm going to unpack the rest of my stuff, and then I'll be back, ok?" Itachi nodded, and Kisame left the room.

He had returned ten minutes later to see five dango sticks lying on the table, with Itachi's back to him. He'd stared at the weasel for a good five minutes in sheer disbelief before picking up the trash and walking about into the kitchen, tossing the dango sticks into the garbage can. After that, he brought home just one stick a day. He then realized another thing about the weasel; it was nearly impossible for Itachi to gain weight.

At the moment, Kisame was heading into his apartment, eager to see his friend after a particularly long day at school. He walked into the apartment, tossing his keys onto the counter before walking further into the house. "Itachi," he called out, walking further into the house.

The weasel was already sitting upright on the couch, waiting expectantly for his treat. Kisame resisted the urge to smirk as he handed the dango to Itachi, exiting the room moments later. "Enjoy," he called back.

The shark put his cell phone on the charger (the stupid thing had died on him on the way home) and then returned to the living room. To his shock, the dango was still untouched, and lying on the coffee table. "Itachi, are you feeling ok?" Kisame asked, worried.

"Hn."

Of course he couldn't get a straight answer out of the weasel. Kisame was tempted to yell at the Uchiha until he got an answer, but more than likely the weasel would just clam up and ignore him. Best take this slowly.

Kisame sat down on the edge of the couch, looking down at his friend. "Itachi, what is it?" The weasel slowly sat up, but refused to say anything, or even look at Kisame. "Look, if it's something I did-" Itachi grabbed Kisame's shoulder, pulled himself up, and gave the shark a gentle peck on the lips.

Kisame's mind stopped working when he was kissed. Itachi pulled away and lay back down on the couch, back turned to the shark, offering no explanation for his actions.

Kisame wasn't sure what to do now. The first time they'd kissed, he'd been trying to shock the weasel long enough to get him calm and under control. Since then, he'd gotten more and more attached to the weasel, almost to the point where he felt more like Itachi's protector then his friend. He knew Itachi was gay, so he shouldn't have been all that surprised that the Uchiha ended up liking him. So what was he supposed to do now?

Kisame settled for reaching out and resting his hand on the weasel's back, gently rubbing circles into it. "So that's why you were upset," he muttered, more to himself than Itachi.

The weasel made no sound, and Kisame had no idea what to say. He knew what was supposed to happen now; this was the part of the cheesy romance novel where he admitted his feelings to Itachi. They'd kiss, their lives would suddenly get better, and they'd live happily ever after. The only problem was, this was life, not a love story. "Itachi, I have absolutely no clue what to do now." Holy crap, had he really just said that aloud?

Judging from how the weasel flinched he had. Oh well, he might as well go with this now. "Itachi, I don't know what to say right now, I don't know what I should be doing with you, and I don't know what to do in a relationship." Ok, whoever said honesty was the best policy was really full of it.

"But…" Kisame took a minute to organize his thoughts before going on. "I think that...I like you too."

Itachi chanced a glance at Kisame after hearing those words. What was he trying to say?

"Look, Itachi, if you're willing to, I'd like to give dating a shot."

Kisame could have slapped himself for saying that. There were a thousand and one better ways to phrase that question, and they both knew it. Now Itachi would not only reject him, but think him an inept simpleton.

Except that Itachi wasn't rejecting him. In fact, he was nodding his head up and down at the shark.

"You mean that?" Wow, even dumber question. Still, Itachi didn't stop nodding, so things were still in his favor.

Kisame grinned. For the first time since his mother's death, a human being really and truly liked him, even cared for him. "Alright then. From now on, I'm your boyfriend."

The shark wasn't sure what he should do next. Kiss him? Hug him? It was probably too sudden for that. He settled for just rising from the couch and walking towards the bathroom. "Itachi, I'm going to take a bath, then we can eat dinner, ok?"

"Hn." Taking that as a yes, Kisame disappeared into his bathroom.

Moments later, Itachi reached out and snatched the uneaten dango off the table, rolling over to stare at the ceiling as he munched on the treat. He had a boyfriend. The Uchiha had never even considered another relationship with a girl or boy possible after Shisui had died. But here he was, lying on his boyfriend's couch, munching on dango and waiting for Kisame to step out of the bath so they could have dinner.

"I have a boyfriend," he whispered. Itachi smiled up at the ceiling as he bit into the dango.


	9. part 8

Itachi stared out the window of his classroom, deep in thought. He and Kisame had been going out for a few weeks, and he'd found out that the shark really did have no idea what to do as a boyfriend.

Itachi was not used to having to be the forward, pushy member of a relationship. But, since Kisame was acting like he was stepping on eggshells every time he did something around the weasel, Itachi had had to take control of things. It was just that simple.

At the sound of the bell, Itachi rose and exited the classroom, thoughts still on Kisame. It was times like this that he was glad the shark was his only friend; he didn't have to worry about people walking up to him and ask why he was acting so spaced out.

Lunch was about the only period of the day that hadn't changed when they started going out. Kisame would still do most of the little talking that went on at lunch, and he was still allowed the peace that he loved so much.

Sixth period, however; well, that was almost awkward. Itachi would stare out the window, trying to ignore the shark's gaze on him. Whenever he'd turn around in his seat, or even look at the shark, Kisame would instantly turn away, as if embarrassed to be caught looking at his boyfriend. Honestly, he was acting like a shy school girl. Scratch out awkward, this was just plain annoying.

The bell rang, and like the trained monkeys they were, the students rose from their seats and exited the room. "Can you come over tonight?" Kisame asked.

"Hn," was the weasel's reply.

"Great. Look, I'm gonna stuff my books in my locker, than I'll meet you at yours, alright?" The Uchiha nodded as the shark walked off.

The weasel actually had homework tonight, but in all honesty he didn't feel like doing it. Not like it mattered whether he did the work or not; he could run circles around the other kids in all his classes, and everyone knew it. Itachi soon had all his books stuffed into his locker. Now all he had to do was wait for the shark to show up. "My, don't you heal up nice." The weasel very nearly groaned in annoyance. This was becoming cliché, in his book.

Itachi turned to see Suzu and company walking up, surrounding the weasel as idiotic smiles crossed their faces. "Nice to see you again," Suzu began, cracking his knuckles. "We were starting to miss you."

The weasel rolled his eyes and tried to walk off, only to be stopped by a thug. "Ah ah ahh," Suzu said, shaking a finger at the weasel. "You're not leaving just like that."

"Itachi, what's going on?" the group turned to see Kisame a few feet away from them, arms crossed and a frown on his face.

"Nothing that concerns you," Suzu replied. "So just beat it."

"I wasn't talking to you, punk," Kisame said, walking closer to the teen, towering over the thug. "I was talking to my friend." He shot the weasel a brief glance. "I'm gonna take a wild guess and say you six are the ones that beat Itachi to a bloody pulp a while back."

"Good guess," Suzu said, turning back to the weasel. "Now beat it, freak."

Kisame opened a locker, grabbed Suzu by his collar, and shoved him inside, locking it behind him. Most of the kids in this place were too lazy to lock and unlock their lockers, which worked to Kisame's advantage. "Beat it, or you get the same," Kisame growled, glaring down at the other teens.

The thugs were not about to back down, though. It was still five to one, after all. Kisame had to shove two more of them into lockers, and then he just settled for bashing their skulls against the cold metal. Finally, they took off, calling a few choice words back at the shark and weasel as they left. "Lousy thugs," he muttered, shaking his head. "Come on; we can go now." The weasel nodded, following behind his friend.

Itachi didn't say a word on the way home, not even when they entered the shark's apartment. "You feeling ok?" Kisame asked. No answer. The shark sighed and shook his head, walking into the kitchen to make dinner. Microwaved ramen and semi-flat soda. Yum.

He brought the food into the living room, holding a plate out for the Uchiha, only to jerk it away when Itachi tried to grab it. "You can have this," Kisame said. "But only if you tell me what's bugging you. Ok?" Itachi glared at him for a few moments before nodding in agreement. Kisame handed him the food and sat down beside the weasel, awaiting an explanation.

"You know what they're going to say about you now," Itachi growled, stabbing the ramen. "They'll assume we're going out, and start going after you too."

"Your point?"

"They'll drag those other mindless drones at our school into this. You're going to get called a fag now, like me."

"Itachi, I've gone through my whole life being called names. A few more aren't going to hurt me."

"You say that now…"

Kisame blinked in surprise, then grabbed the weasel's chin and jerked his head around to face the shark. "Itachi, listen to me. I'm not gonna let what happened to you before happen again. I'm not Shisui; I'm not leaving you."

The weasel looked down, allowing the words to sink in. "Alright?" Kisame asked.

"Call my dad. I'm staying the night," Itachi said, getting up and walking into the bathroom. A moment later, Kisame heard the sound of the shower being turned on. He walked into the kitchen, picking his phone up off the counter and dialing the Uchiha's home phone. By the time he had finished talking with Fugaku, Itachi had climbed out of the shower and was dressed for bed. Meaning he'd gone into the shark's room and pulled an oversized t-shirt out of the shark's dresser.

Kisame had to admit, his boyfriend looked rather cute like that. Not that he'd ever let the weasel know, though. He sat down on the couch, flipping on the TV to a classic film channel, knowing the weasel loved old movies.

Itachi flopped down beside him, scooting closer to the shark. Kisame took a chance and reached out, wrapping an arm around the weasel's waist. After a few moments that seemed like an eternity to the shark, Itachi moved closer, snuggling into Kisame's side. Maybe the Uchiha wouldn't always have to be the forward one in this relationship.


	10. part 9

The sound of Kisame shutting off the TV woke Itachi.

The Uchiha could tell that it was still night, so Kisame probably wanted to go to bed, which meant that the Uchiha would have to move to let him up.

However, Itachi was feeling rather lazy right now, and had no intention of giving up the nice warm shark he was cuddling into at the moment. Who knew Kisame was this comfy...

He felt a pressure applied to his head, which he soon determined to be Kisame's hand. The shark's fingers wove themselves into his hair, and gently began combing out the knots in it. Well well. Apparently Kisame was a bit more confident when Itachi was asleep. Or at least pretending to be.

The weasel's attention was momentarily pulled away by the feeling of Kisame's other hand traveling across the shark's lap and coming to rest on Itachi's thigh. The Uchiha very nearly frowned at the movement, but managed to keep up the illusion of unconsciousness. What was the shark doing?

It seemed that not even Kisame could answer that question, because he hesitated after that, eventually stopping his movements all together. Finally, after a period of time that was nothing short of an eternity to the weasel, Kisame began moving again. He began by sliding his other hand down the weasel's body and around Itachi's waist. Then, to the weasel's shock, Kisame picked him up.

The movements were slow and gentle, as if the shark was afraid of waking his boyfriend (which he no doubt was). Itachi made the appropriate mumbles and movements to make the shark think he was interrupting the weasel's sleep, before quieting down once more. Staying still no doubt would have let Kisame in on the truth in a flash.

Finally, Itachi was all the way in his boyfriend's lap, body turned to the side, ear pressed against the shark's pounding heart. It took a while, but Kisame finally calmed himself down, his heartbeat slowing to a normal rate.

Itachi now had to resist smiling. This was a much more pleasurable way of sleeping than burying your face in a couch cushion.

Suddenly, the shark's pulse picked up again. What was it this time?

Kisame took a deep breath, letting it out in a sigh. "You really do look like an angel," he whispered softly.

Now it was the Uchiha's heart that began pounding. How Kisame had said that...it wasn't like when a mother told her child that they looked like an angel. It was how a lover would speak to their significant other.

He heard Kisame chuckle softly, and a moment later the shark's hand was against his cheek. "But I'm betting that if I said that to your face, you'd never speak to me again." The hand began moving, gently brushing away the Uchiha's onyx colored hair, tucking it behind his ear. A second later, Itachi felt a pair of lips press themselves against his forehead.

Before he could stop himself, Itachi's eyes shot open.

Both the shark and the weasel froze. Clearly neither one of them had planned for this.

Itachi made the first move, dropping his gaze as his hand shot out, grabbing onto Kisame's wrist and pulling the hand away from his face. Kisame didn't resist, probably afraid that it would result in the wrist being broken.

Only vaguely aware of what he was doing, Itachi moved the hand down, eventually placing it directly over his own heart. Kisame's eyes widened ever so slightly when he felt how fast the muscle was beating. "Itachi?"

"..."

"Itachi??"

"..."

"Angel?"

"You're comfy," the weasel murmured, shutting his eyes and nuzzling into the shark's chest.

Kisame raised a brow; he'd expected a lot of different reactions, but this wasn't one of them.

Gradually, the Uchiha's heart slowed down, and soon both his heart rate and breathing were slow and easy, indicating he'd fallen asleep again. Carefully, so as not to wake the smaller teen a second time, Kisame lifted his boyfriend up, carrying him out of the room and into his bedroom.

He could get killed in the morning for this. But for now, he'd just try and enjoy having Itachi curled up next to him.


	11. part 10

Kisame awoke to the feeling of small pinpricks in his hand, like he'd fallen asleep on it. Which was highly unlikely, considering that he always slept on his back, and could feel the mattress of his bed pressing against his spine at this very moment-"You're awake."

The shark blinked his eyes open and turned to his right. Itachi was lying on his side, looking up at the shark. Kisame's hand was tucked under his head, in between his face and the pillow. That explained why his poor limb felt so funny. "Itachi?"

"Hn?"

"My hand's asleep," the teen said sheepishly, an embarrassed grin on his face.

The weasel blinked, waiting for the thought to process, before gently lifting his head up, allowing Kisame to retract his hand. As soon as it was free, the shark began flexing it, trying to get the blood flowing, wincing now and then. "Dear lord, how much does that freaking brain of yours weigh?" Kisame muttered quietly.

For the briefest second, Kisame saw a hint of a smile on the weasel's face, but it vanished as quickly as it had appeared. If it had even been there in the first place. "Hey, what time's it?" the shark asked.

"Noon."

"What?!" Kisame shot up in bed, swinging his legs over the side. "Itachi, we're beyond late! Oh man, we're dead-"

I called the school, forged a doctor's note, and faxed it to them. You and I ate Chinese take-out and have come down with food poisoning."

"Your dad?"

"Told him the same thing. I'm to stay over here until I'm well." His eyes shifted, looking at his feet now. "No point in going home if you're just going to puke, after all."

"…"

"What?"

"This is the most you've said in _days_, Itachi. Weeks, maybe."

The weasel rolled his eyes and turned over, back to the shark. "I'm going to sleep. Make lunch."

"Alright," Kisame replied, rising from the bed, pulling on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that were lying on his closet floor. As he was about o exit he room, a thought occurred to him. "Itachi?"

"Hn?"

"Where did you get a fax machine?"

"Your landlady," the Uchiha replied, pulling the covers up over his head, indicating that their conversation was over.

Half an hour later, the scent of ramen and eggs invaded Itachi's nose. Not the most appetizing scent in the world, but he was getting hungry, and not about to refuse a meal. Grumbling softly to himself, the weasel crawled out of bed, finger combing his hair as he pulled off his clothes, grabbing one of Kisame's shirts off the floor. The shark had been decent enough to not undress the weasel the night before, but Itachi couldn't stand staying in the clothes that he had not only worn the day before, but also slept in. Still, this meant having to wear Kisame's clothes until his own were washed.

The Uchiha briefly considered grabbing a pair of pants to go with the shirt, but soon decided against it. Compared to the shark, he was an anorexic runt. A pair of the shark's pants on him would look comical, at best. Sighing quietly, he exited the bedroom.

Kisame had set their brunch on the table and was halfway to the bedroom, indicating that he'd been meaning to wake the weasel. "Oh, you're up," he said.

"Hn," Itachi replied, crossing the room.

The Uchiha sat down at the table and slowly ate the eggs, eyes widening slightly. "Well?" Kisame asked.

"You burnt them."

"Burnt eggs taste better," Kisame justified. "What?" he asked, seeing the look on Itachi's face. "They do."

"Hn," the weasel murmured, munching on his food.

"So, what do we do now?" Kisame asked. Today was Friday; they could stay here over the weekend, and on Monday go back to school. Three days was enough time to get over food poisoning, right?

The Uchiha shrugged. Clearly he was hoping Kisame would know what to do.

As a matter of fact, Kisame had a few ideas on how they could kill time, but wasn't about to suggest any of them. Mostly because they involved him and Itachi in various places, sucking face. He wasn't sure how well that would go over with the Uchiha. The shark knew he'd been pushing his luck last night when he pulled the weasel into his lap, then carried him to the bed. One more stunt like that could very well get him killed.

Itachi frowned. When Kisame was quiet like this, it usually meant that he was thinking about something that he didn't want the weasel to know about. "Kisame, talk," he ordered, monotone voice carrying an edge to it.

The shark started; damn that weasel for being so observant. "I was just thinking about how to kill a little time," he answered.

"And?"

This was the part where Kisame drew a blank. What exactly was he supposed to say? 'Hey, Itachi, I just wanted to spend a few hours making out with you because I need more practice kissing, since I suck at it?' Wonderful plan, Kisame.

The glare coming from Itachi very nearly made him spit the explanation out. "Look, I was just thinking that since we're home alone, we could…I never kiss you in public, and barely ever here at home, so I know I'm not too good at it…it's not like we have much else to do with our time…"

"You want to make out," Itachi stated, face expressionless. He made it sound so much simpler than it had been in Kisame's head.

"Yeah," the shark confirmed, not entirely sure what to expect from his boyfriend now.

To his shock, the weasel went back to eating, finishing his breakfast, then rising from the table and taking his dishes to the sink, running water to clean them. "Brush your teeth. We both have egg breath."

"So…you're ok with this?"

"Hn," Itachi replied, nodding as he poured the dish soap onto his plate. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I dunno…it just seems like…I dunno…"

Itachi dried his plate, putting it up before walking over to the table, grabbing Kisame by his arm and pulling him up. "Come on," he ordered, pulling the shark into the bathroom with him thrusting a toothbrush into the shark's hand.

"Honestly, what did you think I was going to say?" Itachi growled, scrubbing his mouth.

"That you'd say no. only in a more violent way."

"Why?"

"It just seems like something you'd do," Kisame replied, brushing his teeth fervrently.

Itachi took a swig of water, swishing it around before spitting into the sink. "Kisame, we're dating. We're supposed to do things like that." Itachi walked out of the room, presumably to the nearby living room.

As the words sank in, Kisame grinned. Itachi expected affection. For them to make-out. To hold and be held. He wasn't going to kill the shark for this; only enjoy it.

Spitting into the sink, Kisame left the bathroom, praying silently that he didn't have egg breath.


	12. part 11

RING RING

"Who the heck...?"

RING RING

"Itachi, let me up."

"Get it and I'll kill you."

Ignoring his boyfriend's threat, Kisame pushed Itachi off his lap and crossed the room to enter the kitchen, picking up his cell pone. "Hello? What the...no, we don't want any...no, I can't be swayed otherwise...well I'm sure you've had a very long day and just want to go home, but that doesn't mean-hey, watch it!...Fine, same to you!" Kisame yelled, slamming his phone shut.

He sighed as he crossed the room, and if Itachi didn't always carry around that expressionless look on his face, Kisame was certain the weasel would be giving him a smug smile right about now. "I know, I know, I should have let the voicemail get it."

"Hn," Itachi replied, crawling back into the shark's lap without further comment. Moments later the Uchiha's lips were back against Kisame's, eyes shut in bliss.

Two days of practicing had done wonders for their kissing abilities. It had also brought out a surprisingly needy side of the Uchiha.

Kisame had nearly keeled over from shock the first time he'd pressed Itachi's small body against his own and gotten a soft hum of satisfaction as a result. The weasel had started wrapping his legs around Kisame and tangling his slender fingers in the shark's dark blue hair when they kissed, and whenever Kisame broke away, there would always be a second-long questioning look in Itachi's eyes, silently asking why they'd stopped.

Kisame had never pictured Itachi as the kind of person that clung to another for attention. That was why Kisame was slowly beginning to realize that maybe it wasn't need coming out in Itachi; maybe it was neglect.

The shark could have smacked himself for how long this epiphany took to hit him. Itachi's father was a complete asshole (as he'd experienced firsthand), his mother was addicted to painkillers, and his brother hated him. Other teens saw him as a monster, which no doubt added to the problem, despite Itachi's claims otherwise.

So, how long had the Uchiha been alone? Deprived of the most basic forms of care and compassion that human beings showed to one another? How had Itachi managed to keep the pain from eating away at him? "Kisame?"

The shark looked down at his partner, who was staring up at him with wide eyes. "What's wrong?" the Uchiha asked.

Damn that weasel for being so perceptive. Before Kisame could come up with a good excuse, however, his stomach grumbled. He very nearly let out a sigh of relief. Saved by his appetite.

Itachi frowned at the noise and rose to his feet, walking into the kitchen. "Do we have anything to eat?" Kisame called out, following the smaller teen into the kitchen.

Itachi opened the fridge and peered at the contents inside, shaking his head. Kisame sighed and reached into a nearby cabinet, pulling out a packet of dried noodles. "Ramen again, I guess." The shark didn't have to turn around to see the look of disgust on Itachi's face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dinner passed, the teens choking down the ramen that they'd been eating nonstop for the last two and a half days. Kisame had already finished his portion, but Itachi was taking his sweet time to get the food down.

A small frown was on the weasel's face, changing to a sick look as he took another bite, swallowing the noodles quickly. It was adorable, in an odd way. Kisame smiled at the sight, just as Itachi turned to look at him. "What?" he asked.

"You look cute, angel." The words were out before Kisame had time to think about what he was saying.

Itachi nearly choked on his food, staring at the shark, who immediately exited the room, under the pretense of cleaning his dishes. This of course took him twenty minutes, and even then he checked to make sure the weasel was in the bathroom before he hurried into his bedroom. There was no way he was coming out until morning.

Later that night, however, Kisame heard the sound of his door softly creaking open, followed by soft footsteps padding across the floor. Moments later, the right side of his mattress sagged down, indicating that someone was now sitting on his bed. "Kisame?"

"Hmm?" the shark tried his best to act casual.

"Can I sleep in here?"

What?

"The couch hurts my back," Itachi quietly explained.

Kisame highly doubted the story, but doubted he could refuse the Uchiha's request after his earlier slip of the tongue. "Sure," he replied, pulling back the covers for Itachi.

The weasel slowly crawled under the blankets, pulling them up to his chin once he was in bed. For a while, all was quiet. Then, very slowly, Itachi began scooting closer to the shark.

Inch by inch he moved closer to Kisame, nearly driving the shark insane with how slow he was going. Kisame was tempted to just grab the weasel and pull him across the bed. Only the knowledge that Itachi would take off like a rocket if he did that held his arms in place.

Still, when Itachi was only a few inches away, Kisame finally gave in and wrapped an arm around the Uchiha's waist, gently pulling him closer to the shark. Itachi didn't resist; in fact, to Kisame's utter amazement, he actually nuzzled the shark's chest. "You can sleep in here, but if you let me sleep in too late, you're dead meat, angel," Kisame whispered, hugging the weasel so he'd know it was only a joke.

Itachi nodded, face rubbing against the shark's rough skin. Kisame listened as the weasel's breathing slowed, indicating that Itachi had fallen asleep.

It was odd, to think of this person in his arms as a normal human being that longed for love and affection. Kisame promised himself that he'd do whatever it took to fulfill that need.


	13. part 12

Kisame was somewhat surprised by the changes the next few weeks brought with them.

Itachi would stay over at his house for a few nights a week, usually sleeping on the couch, but occasionally crawling into his bed late at night, not even bothering to ask the shark for permission anymore. Still, this was not the biggest alteration.

The thing that had changed the most was Itachi's attitude.

When they were at lunch, Itachi would occasionally speak, instead of using his normal hns. At Kisame's house, he was more open, and actually showed brief glimpses of emotions now and again. Kisame couldn't help but smile to himself as the truth sank in. Itachi was comfortable around the shark. Things were going great.

So why was Kisame about to rip that to shreds?

Because he absolutely had to ask this question. If not, it would eat him alive from the inside out. This did nothing to help ease his anxiety, however…

Kisame and Itachi were currently sitting in the living room, Itachi on the couch and Kisame stretched out on the floor nearby, both watching the television. The shark took a quick breath, then turned halfway around to look up at his boyfriend. "Hey, angel?"

The weasel's expression didn't change. He'd finally grown used to he pet name Kisame had bestowed on him, much to the shark's delight. "Hn?"

"Mind if I ask you something?"

The weasel turned his attention away from the black and white film on the TV to look down at Kisame, waiting.

Kisame decided to spit the whole thing out, before he lost his nerve. "Itachi, if we're going out and everything, why have we never gone out on a date?"

The weasel blinked in surprise; clearly he'd not sent that question coming. In reply, he could only shrug. "Hn."

"Itachi, are you against the idea of going out on a date with me?" the shark asked.

"…" The Uchiha didn't answer, eyes clouding over, lips set in a frown. How was he supposed to answer that?

"Forget I said anything," the shark muttered, turning back to face the TV, although neither one of them had any desire to watch it now.

A few days later, Itachi was once again staying over at the shark's house. He started when he heard a groan and a thud coming from the kitchen. Curious, he hopped off the couch and silently walked into the other room, wondering what had happened.

Kisame stood in front of the cabinets, frowning at the closed door. "We're completely out of food," he muttered. "Even the ramen's gone. I hate to ruin the evening, but I've got to go grocery shopping." Sighing, he grabbed his keys and wallet off the counter, before ambling to the door.

To his surprise, Itachi stayed close behind him. "Something wrong?" Kisame asked.

"You mentioned a date," Itachi began, speaking slowly as he carefully picked his words. "Would you be alright going to the park before the grocery?"

The words took their sweet time to register in Kisame's head. "You're asking me…to go on a date," Kisame replied, making sure he'd heard right.

"Hn," the Uchiha replied, nodding in confirmation.

"All right. Why not?" Kisame said, opening the door and holding it open for Itachi, stepping out after the weasel.

When they arrived at the park, Kisame realized two things. One; he had no idea what they were supposed to do now. Two; Itachi clearly hated going out in public.

The two of them walked along a concrete pathway, eyes looking anywhere but at each other. It was an overcast day, with a cold wind blowing now and again, adding to the uncomfortable atmosphere.

As Kisame's eyes were wondering around, he caught sight of a boy and girl, lying in the grass, the tan male talking as the preppy looking female fixed her make-up. "Lovely," he muttered.

Itachi turned to see where his boyfriend was looking, eyes narrowing at the spectacle. "Hn," he murmured, shaking his head.

"Five bucks says that they'll get voted prom king and queen, celebrate with sex, the girl ends up knocked up, he marries her, and they live miserably ever after."

"That's a sucker's bet," Itachi replied, smirking.

"This is going to come back to haunt us," Kisame warned, a grin making its way across his face.

"I care?" Kisame smiled and leaned down, gently kissing the teen at his side.

They continued on their way, passing a fountain with koi fish swimming about, reminding Kisame just how hungry he was. Itachi agreed to leave and get food now, and several minutes later they were in a supermarket, trying to figure out exactly how far they could make fifteen dollars stretch. Not nearly as far as they needed it to, they soon discovered.

Not wanting to walk around with bags of food in their hands, the shark and weasel made their way back to Kisame's apartment. As soon as the door was open, they hurried inside and set the groceries down on the counter, rubbing their sore arms. "What I wouldn't give for a car sometimes," Kisame grumbled, flexing his aching limbs.

"Lunch?" The shark tried not to roll his eyes. Leave it to the weasel to demand a meal before he could even feel his arms again.

A quick lunch of sandwiches and soda was soon prepared, and not even ten minutes later the shark and weasel had finished eating. "You feel like going out again?" Kisame asked, not surprised in the least when Itachi shook his head no. "Wanna stay here for a few more hours?" A nod was his answer this time.

Itachi quickly found a movie on TV to watch and curled up against Kisame's side, eyes focused on the program. "Well, that wasn't too bad," Kisame stated. "The date, I mean."

"It was nice.

"Yeah, nice…"

"…"

"Let's never do that again."

"Hn."


	14. part 13

'Kisame likes going out with me. I've found someone else who loves old movies. I can cook more than soup and ramen.' Itachi was sitting on his bed, writing in his List of Living. Adding to the pro side, at least.

He reread his most recent additions, only mildly surprised to realize that they were all connected to Kisame, in one way or another. It figured; Kisame had pretty much become his entire life, over the course of the last few months. The shark was a comfort, their time together relaxing-

A crash came from downstairs, making Itachi sigh and shut his notebook. Kisame's apartment was also an escape from this hell he was all too often trapped in.

Several minutes later, he heard footsteps walk up the stairs, followed by Sasuke poking his head into his brother's room. "Mom wants to know where you put the painkillers," he said.

"Her pills are downstairs," Itachi replied.

"She wants yours," Sasuke spat out, glaring at his elder brother.

"Too bad," the weasel said. "They're mine, not hers. She needs to take her own prescriptions, or she'll never get better."

"Right, like I'm going to tell her that," Sasuke growled. "You're such a coward, Aniki. You just hide up here all day, and then make me deal with mom and dad! Not to mention that you always run off, so I'm stuck with them! I hate you!" Sasuke slammed the door shut, taking off down the hall once more.

Itachi flopped backwards onto the bed, staying still for a few moments, eyes staring up at the ceiling. _"Sasuke, you shouldn't have to care for them. They ought to be the ones caring for you. You stay here, coming at their beck and call, and always live how they want you to." _Itachi shut his eyes. "I may be a coward, but at least I'm not a prisoner."

Kisame noticed the Uchiha was quieter than usual the next day, not even bothering to hn back to half of his questions. Worried, the shark took Itachi home after school, not even bothering to ask the weasel if it was alright.

Once they arrived in the apartment, Kisame quickly dialed the Uchihas' home number, while Itachi walked into the living room, flipping on the TV and lying down on the couch. "Your dad said you could stay over," Kisame said, walking into the room a few minutes later, eyes traveling from the weasel to the TV. "Since when do you watch the news?"

Itachi held up the remote for the shark to take, eyes still glued to the television. "Look, we can watch this for a while, but you're going to have to tell me what's wrong soon enough. Alright?" Itachi nodded once. Kisame sat down on the floor in front of the couch, head resting against the weasel's shoulder.

It was half an hour before Itachi spoke. "My brother hates me."

"You already told me that," Kisame said.

"No…he really hates me. It took this long for that to hit me."

Kisame twisted around to see an agonized look on the Uchiha's face. "Am I really that detestable?" he asked quietly.

"No, you aren't," Kisame replied, shutting off the TV. "Sasuke's just emo."

"…"

"Itachi, the kid doesn't hate you. He's just…I'm not really sure. Mad at you, I guess. Probably to the point of not being able to stay close to you for a period of time." Oh yeah, that was really going to make Itachi feel better. "But he can't hate you. Not matter how much the two of you may think that, it's not possible."

"…?"

"You're tied together by the life you share. Bastard father, demented mother. Both of you hate it, and both of you have different coping mechanisms for it. Maybe he's just mad because you have a different way of dealing with this then he does, and yours works better."

"Better?" Itachi asked bitterly, pulling back his sleeve to reveal the pale cuts decorating his arm.

"You've stopped, haven't you?"

"Hn."

"See?" Kisame motioned for Itachi to move and sat beside him on the couch. "Itachi, you're brothers. Sasuke can hate what you do, what you say, and everything else about you…but he simply cannot hate _you_."

Itachi sat still, allowing he words to sink in. once they had, he slowly moved towards Kisame, crawling into his lap and pressing their lips together.

"_No matter what happens, I come to Kisame, and I always feel better,"_ Itachi thought, eyes drooping shut as his mouth began working against Kisame's. _"He's like a cure-all medicine for me. Why is that?"_

His fingers tangled in Kisame's hair as their kiss deepened. _"This feeling…relief? Bliss? This euphoria that he gives me…is it really just an escape?"_

Itachi was vaguely aware that he was leaning back, and an instant later they fell onto the couch, Kisame shooting out an arm to catch him at the last second, preventing him from crushing the weasel. _"What is this piece of heaven, mixed in with my hell?"_

"…Itachi?" Kisame asked softly, eyes wide with disbelief.

Silent tears were streaming down the Uchiha's face. "Angel, what's wrong?" A weak sob escaped the weasel, startling Kisame. "Angel…" he sat them up, holding Itachi to his chest. "Angel, calm down."

Itachi clung to the shark, more tears sliding down his cheeks with each passing moment. _"I don't know how it happened. I don't understand why it happened. But, I think that…I really…may possibly…love Kisame."_


	15. part 14

Tape can fix a torn page. Glue can fix a shattered plate. Casts can fix a cracked limb.

But what do you use to fix a broken person?

Kisame had been asking the question for over a week now. He still wasn't sure exactly what had happened, but the night he and Itachi had been on the couch, and the Uchiha had started crying, he knew that something very fragile had snapped inside the weasel. The problem was, Kisame had no idea what that something had been, let alone how he was to go about fixing it.

Itachi had been off, ever since that night. His reactions were delayed, his eyes were always looking off into the distance, and he had stopped coming over to the shark's house as frequently as he used to.

Kisame sighed and walked into the living room. Maybe he could drown out his thoughts with a little TV.

Itachi was stretched out on his bed, eyes glued to the ceiling. His father was still at work, his brother was at a friend's house, and god knows where his mother had gone off to.

He hated being alone in this house. Especially when he'd rather be at a certain someone's apartment…the though was banished as quickly as it had come. Itachi was not going to go to Kisame's house if he could help it, for one very simple reason.

He loved Kisame.

Each time he went to the shark's home, he'd become a little more attached to the shark. A little more emotional. A little more _in love_.

But to ask Kisame to return something as strong as that was out of the question. You could like a person in high school. You could feel a slight stirring of emotions in your heart for them. But love? That was something he simply could not ask of his boyfriend.

At the same time, Itachi couldn't just abandon Kisame. Breaking up would hurt them both, and the Uchiha was fairly certain that if that ever happened, he wouldn't be able to get over it.

Living with the shark was killing him slowly; going without would kill him quickly. Either way, the weasel was trapped.

His thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of the house phone. Probably his dad yelling at him to do his work. The Uchiha silently rose from his bed, exiting the room to answer the call.

"Itachi?"

"Hmm?"

"Can you come over tonight?"

"I guess," the weasel said, after a brief pause to think. "Just give me half an hour to get a few things, alright?"

"No prob. I'll keep some ramen on the stove for you, alright?"

"Hn."

Itachi was pacing his room, trying to figure out what to do. He hadn't meant to accept that invitation; yet a part of him could not refuse it. He'd bought a little time by asking for half an hour to gather his things. A half hour that was quickly ticking away.

Itachi climbed onto his bed, burying his face in the pillows. Why did things have to be so complicated? Why…

"I though you were going over to Kisame's house," Sasuke said. Itachi's eyes snapped open at the sound. Wait, when had he closed his eyes?

He sat up, looking first to his brother, then the digital clock beside his bed. He'd fallen asleep three hours ago.

The weasel was on his feet in an instant, brushing past Sasuke and running out his door, down the hall, and out of the house.

Several blocks later, he was at the shark's apartment building. Taking a brief moment to catch his breath, the weasel was soon hurrying up the steps to Kisame's floor. Once there, he walked briskly down the hall, stopped in front of the shark's door, and knocked. Immediately thereafter, he realized he had no idea what to tell the shark when he asked about his late arrival.

Mind whirling, the door creaked open, revealing the shark. "Kisame-"

Before the Uchiha could respond, he was swept up in a hug. "You're ok," Kisame whispered.

"Hmm?"

"Sorry," the shark said, setting down his boyfriend and shutting the apartment door. "You didn't show up when you said you would, so I thought maybe Suzu or one of his peons had gotten you. You have no idea how ecstatic I am to see you in one piece right now."

"Kisame…"

"Yes?"

"I fell asleep on my bed," the weasel quietly explained, looking at the ground.

"Well, that's good." What? "You've been walking around school with bags under your eyes for the last few days, Itachi. It's about time you got some sleep."

"You're not mad?"

"Mad? No. More like annoyed, since I was worrying about you, and you were just asleep in your own bed."

Itachi looked up at the shark in sheer disbelief. Finally, he raised his hand and motioned for the shark to come closer. Curious, Kisame leaned down. Itachi wasted no time in wrapping his arms around the shark's neck, pressing his lips firmly against Kisame's.

This was the last thing Kisame had been expecting. After weeks of going about like the walking dead, Itachi seemed ready to give up on them. Where was this coming from?

Itachi growled softly, reminding Kisame of the current situation. He kissed back, mouth working against the Uchiha's as his arms wrapped around Itachi's waist, lifting him off the ground so Kisame no longer had to bend.

It was then that Itachi decided to throw his common sense out the window. So what if this love would never be returned. So what if this as destined to blow up in his face. So what if he would end up broken in pieces on the floor, never to be put back together again.

Itachi loved Kisame. And when you have love, what good is common sense?


	16. part 15

If nothing else, Kisame would say that right now, he was confused.

Since the night he'd overslept, then come the shark's home, Itachi's attitude had improved, and he'd been speaking more. The Uchiha was even starting to stay at Kisame's apartment more frequently. The problem was, just like how Kisame hadn't been able to figure out what had made the weasel act so coldly towards him weeks ago, he now had no idea what he'd done to make Itachi warm up to him once more.

Confused? More like clueless.

The shark stared at his boyfriend, who was currently picking at the so-called food he'd purchased from the cafeteria lunch line. What Kisame wouldn't give for just a single chance to look into Itachi's mind and see what made him tick…

Kisame frowned and returned his attention to the food on the plate in front of him. Why did people have to be so complicated? Especially Itachi. Sometimes, it was enough to drive the shark mad; walking on eggshells so he wouldn't offend the Uchiha, but then regretting not taking chances later on. "Kisame?"

"Yeah?" the larger teen asked, turning to look at the Uchiha.

"What's wrong?"

Not for the first time, and most certainly not the last time, Kisame cursed Itachi's observation skills. "Nothing. I was just thinking."

"About?"

"Just stuff. Why?"

Itachi started to speak, then shook his head and returned to his lunch.

Kisame inwardly sighed. What had he done wrong now?

"Can I come over tonight?"

Kisame barely had time to mask his surprise. The Uchiha didn't normally ask to come over to his apartment; it was usually the other way round. "Yeah. It's not like I have to clean up or anything," Kisame said, following Itachi to his locker. His attention was focused on the weasel, and it wasn't until Itachi frowned and muttered, "Not again," did Kisame look in front of them.

Itachi's locker had been spray-painted again, this time with bright red paint.

Kisame stared at the vandalism in complete shock. "What the-"

"This happens sometimes," Itachi explained, already dialing in the combination, completely ignoring the graffiti.

"How often is sometimes?"

"Once every two months or so, I guess."

"Suzu?"

"Hn."

"One day, that guy is gonna-"

"Kisame, forget it." Itachi punctuated his command by slamming the locker shut. "The janitor will clean it, and Suzu'll back off for a while."

"But-"

"Drop it," Itachi snapped, brushing past the shark and walking down the hall at a quicker than normal pace. Strike two for the shark.

Dinner was eaten, dishes were washed, and soon the two were sitting on the couch. Itachi was sitting on one end of the couch, and Kisame on the other. The weasel had his legs curled up to his chest. Kisame watched him out of the corner of his eye as the TV played some game show neither one of them had any interest in. Kisame was observing the weasel, and Itachi's eyes were unfocused, his mind thinking about Kami knows what.

"Itachi," Kisame finally said, "did you get your dad to ok spending the night?"

It took Itachi a few moments to respond, as if he was having difficulty pulling away from his meditation. "Hn," he replied, shaking his head.

"Do you want me to call?"

"…I don't want to go home," the weasel murmured, pulling his legs closer to himself.

"Then stay. I like it better when you're here anyway." Itachi raised a brow, looking at the shark with curiosity. "What? I'm just saying I'm in a better mood when you're around me. Is that so hard to believe?"

"Yes, actually," Itachi replied, eyes now moving to the floor.

Kisame blinked, mind trying to create a proper response. "I don't think it is, angel. For that matter, you're probably the only person I ever want around." Itachi frowned at the shark. "It's true," Kisame said, shrugging.

Itachi turned away, but this time a hand reached out and grabbed his chin, gently turning him to face Kisame, who was now reaching across the couch for the Uchiha. "Angel, I'm dead serious. I want you here with me. Don't ever forget that."

Itachi's arms reached up and wrapped around Kisame's neck, pulling him closer for a kiss.

The shark's hands reached out, one wrapping around Itachi's waist, the other around tangling itself in the Uchiha's silky soft hair. He leaned back, pulling Itachi towards himself, sitting up straight. The smaller teen crawled into his lap, lips firmly against the shark's, legs moving to straddle Kisame.

There was a difference in Itachi's movements tonight. He was acting more forceful than usual, using his actions in place of the words he'd never be able to speak. It was for this very reason that Kisame was able to stay out of the mental fog their kissing usually brought on, and the only reason he was able to process what was happening when Itachi ground their hips together.

Hold it.

Kisame broke the kiss, slowly pulling the Uchiha back, yet keeping a firm grip on his slim waist. "Itachi?"

"Hn?"

"What were you trying to do?"

"What do you think?"

"Itachi, I don't know how good your self-control is, but mine pretty much sucks."

"So?"

Kisame could have smacked the weasel. "_So_, if we had kept going with you acting like that, do you know what could have happened?"

"Why do you think I was doing that?"

…What?

Kisame's mind was desperately trying to wrap itself around that concept. "You wanted…to…Itachi, did you even think about…no, don't answer that."

"Problem?" Itachi asked, voice sounding almost hurt.

"Yes!" Itachi flinched ever so slightly at the tone of Kisame's voice. "We could have ended up in bed together!"

"Does that idea bother you?"

"No! Yes! Grrrrr…look, Itachi," Kisame said, pressing his forehead to the Uchiha's. "Honestly, I don't mind the idea of sleeping with you. But, you're just doing this on impulse-" Kisame shut his mouth as things clicked into place. Itachi didn't act on impulse. He always thought things through. He'd been thinking about this for a while now, he must have.

Kisame could read the hurt and anger as clearly on the weasel's face as if they'd been written in bold letters. Before he could say another word, though, Itachi was on his feet, storming to Kisame's bedroom and slamming the door behind him.

Kisame smacked himself in the forehead. Strike three. You're out.


	17. part 16

I promise. What was so special about the words attached to this little fragment? I promise to stay. I promise to help. I promise to do this, I promise to do that…on and on it goes.

Promises are like clay pigeons. They are made to be broken.

A father, who promises the world he loves his family, then breaks them all in his unique ways. A mother, who promises that she is fine, then runs off to the medicine cabinet and downs so many painkillers she can't even remember her own name. Two brothers that promise each other that they are fine, when deep down, both are falling apart at the seams.

Promises. How rare it was to see these commitments amount to anything more than lies. Filthy, vile lies, following you around like a dark cloud over your head.

Itachi detested those two words. Those three seemingly harmless syllables screeched in his ears like nails on a blackboard. But when Kisame said them, it felt more like those nails had pulled themselves away from the chalkboard to tear directly at his heart.

Everything had started the day after he'd stormed off and locked himself in Kisame's room. He'd almost immediately realized what a mistake he'd made; the whole room was decorated with various possessions of the shark, and the entire bed held the normally comforting scent of his boyfriend. Depressed now more than ever, Itachi had settled for curling up in the closet, eventually falling asleep, and then waking up with a sore back.

They'd gotten up, gotten ready, and left for school in complete silence. Itachi wasn't surprised in the least; Kisame was always the one for conversation, and obviously the shark was in no mood to talk right now. They'd gone their separate ways at the high school without so much as a goodbye to each other.

Lunch time had come and gone, with similar results. Now, as they were walking down the empty halls of the school, preparing to leave, Kisame finally spoke. "Can I start by saying that I was a complete ass last night?"

"Hn." Itachi replied, his monosyllabic response encouraging the shark to go on.

"I don't know what was going on in my head. I was...shocked, I guess." Itachi frowned, raising a brow. "You're always so calm and controlled," Kisame explained. "I didn't think you'd want to have sex. Especially with someone like me."

Itachi always found it odd when Kisame acted like his sharky appearance was a negative attribute. The Uchiha cared for the coloration of skin and scars under Kisame's eyes; they added to his boyfriend's personality. "So," Kisame went on, "I thought about it last night. And, if you really want to, then next time, I promise I won't stop you."

I promise. There they were. Those two oh-so-hated words, coming out of the shark's mouth. "You don't have to promise anything," Itachi said. If Kisame turned that promise into another lie, Itachi would snap.

Kisame took the words another way, however. "What? You got cold feet now?"

"Hn," the weasel replied, shaking his head.

"Then there's no reason for me to take back my promise."

"It's not necessary."

"It is for me, Itachi. Why are you making such a big deal of this?"

The Uchiha shrugged, hoping Kisame would take the hint and let it drop.

No such luck. "Itachi, we're not going anywhere until you tell me what the problem is," Kisame said, grabbing the weasel firmly by the arm and holding him in place.

"I don't like promises," Itachi muttered.

"…?" Kisame bent down to be eye level with the weasel, who quickly looked away. "You don't like promises? Or you don't like having promises broken?"

"Same thing."

"No, it's not." Kisame released his grip on Itachi. "And you know it."

"…"

"I don't know what kind of people you've been around, but they're not me. Itachi, I'm not going to make a promise to you and then turn around and break it. You have to trust me."

Now Itachi had to give Kisame trust? Well, why not. He'd thrown away his common sense and given his heart to the shark, so what was a little trust thrown into the mix. "All right," he replied. "I trust you."

"Then believe me, Itachi. I'm never going to break a promise I make to you. And _that_ is a promise." Itachi smiled softly at the words. For some reason, he believed Kisame.


	18. part 17

Itachi sat on his bed, legs dangling over the edge as he doubled over. His head was hurting again. Not just a headache; a full-blown migraine.

He slowly rose to his feet, wincing at the small amount of pain moving brought on. He reached into the drawer of his bedside table and pulled out the pill bottle he'd hidden from his mother. Now to get some water.

He walked across his room, stepping into the bathroom. He didn't want to turn on the light, seeing as it would only hurt his head. The Uchiha began rummaging about in the dark, until he finally found a cup. He then filled the glass with water, setting it aside afterwards to unscrew the lid on his pill bottle. He knew the dosage by heart now: one pill every twelve hours. Do not exceed two a day.

Itachi quickly dumped two pills into his hand, swallowing them both in one gulp. He needed that high a dosage, or else they wouldn't help him at all. He'd have to take more later that afternoon, once these pills wore off. For now, though, he would be content to crawling into his bed and sleeping for a few hours.

First, however…Itachi was back at his bedside table and pulled out his List for Living. He grabbed a pen from atop the table and flipped it open to the current page. He frowned, writing on the con side, 'I may be addicted to pain killers'.

"You ok?"

The weasel looked up at his friend, who was giving him a concerned look. "Hn," he replied, laying his head down once more. His headache had haunted him for the last few days, and it was just now going away.

"Why do I find that hard to believe?"

Itachi tried to block out the sound of Kisame's voice. Any day but today he could handle the shark's lunchtime banter, but right now he only wanted peace and quiet.

The bell, however, had different plans for Itachi, and rang a moment later. Grumbling softly, Itachi rose to his feet, swaying slightly.

"Now I know something's wrong," Kisame stated, rising as well.

"My head hurts," Itachi muttered, looking away.

"Can you come over tonight?"

The weasel looked up at his friend, giving him a look that quite clearly said, "Are you deaf?"

"It's not like being around your family's going to help you feel better. Just come over and chill for a little while."

"..I'll see," Itachi replied, walking out of the cafeteria and trying to resist the urge to clutch the side of his aching head.

The weasel was now curled up on Kisame's couch, trying to sleep. The shark was doing his best to keep quiet, so as not to disturb the weasel. Itachi was just about to drift off, when he heard the sound of bare feet padding across the room. "Angel?" Kisame whispered. "You asleep?"

Itachi opened his eyes partway, glaring at the shark. The look must have been rather harsh, because the look on Kisame's face seemed startled, almost hurt. The Uchiha softened his gaze and reached for the shark's hand, grabbing it and pressing it to his cheek. Kisame's palms were nice and cool against his face, making him smile ever so slightly. "You don't feel too warm," Kisame remarked. "But that doesn't mean you're not sick…"

"I'm not," Itachi mumbled, moving Kisame's fingers to cover his eyes, blocking out the yellowish-white light from the fluorescent bulbs over their heads. "I just get migraines sometimes."

"You need medicine?" Kisame asked.

"My prescription's at home."

"I'm pretty sure your dad would freak out if I came up to your door and asked for your medication." Itachi smirked at the comment, gently squeezing Kisame's hand. "I'm thinking I should call him and tell him you're spending the night again."

"Why bother?" Itachi whispered once Kisame had risen and walked into the kitchen to find his phone and call Fugaku. The weasel spent more of his time here at the shark's apartment then his own home. Yet, his father didn't seem to care.

Itachi felt a knot form in his stomach, and curled up into a loose ball. It didn't matter that he hated his father, and it didn't matter that there was plenty of distance between them both. Knowing that your own father hated you…that really hurt.

Kisame had just gotten off the phone and walked back into the room. "He said you could stay…" the shark had caught sight of the pained look on Itachi's face, mouth drawing itself into a tight line. "What's wrong?" he asked, walking over to the couch and kneeling beside Itachi.

"My head hurts," Itachi muttered, which wasn't a whole lie. His headache had returned full force once he'd thought about Fugaku. "Can we go to bed?"

"Sure," Kisame said, not moving from his spot. Itachi didn't look like he was about to move; and yet, the shark didn't just want to leave him out here on his own. Taking a chance, he reached out and picked the weasel up, lifting him from the couch bridal style.

Itachi didn't seem to care, as he wrapped one arm loosely around Kisame's neck, allowing himself to be carried into the bedroom by his boyfriend. Kisame set Itachi down on his side of the bed, walking to the other side to pull a few t-shirts out of his dresser. "Here," he said, tossing one to Itachi.

The weasel was soon undressed and under the covers, Kisame following suit. Moments later Itachi was lying against his side, an arm wrapped around his body. If Kisame found Itachi's cuddly behavior odd, he didn't say anything.

Itachi shut his eyes, a thousand and one thoughts racing through his mind. He did his best to block them out, and focus only on Kisame, and getting some sleep.

It took some time, but Itachi was finally able to drift off.


	19. part 18

As soon as Kisame woke up, he knew Itachi wasn't going to school.

The weasel was lying beside him, a relaxed look on his face, clearly still in a deep sleep. He'd seen how stressed Itachi had been yesterday, as well as the bags under his eyes. If the weasel was finally getting some much needed rest, who was he to interrupt?

He carefully removed his arm from around the Uchiha's thin frame, gingerly removing himself from the bed. He quickly dressed himself and walked into the kitchen, stopping long enough to write a note for Itachi before exiting the apartment.

Itachi woke up, eyes opening, then squinting as bright sunlight made its way into the bedroom.

He shut his eyes and reached across the bed, feeling…nothing. Come to think of it, why was there a pillow under his head, instead of a certain shark?

Now fully awake, Itachi sat up in bed and looked around. No sign of Kisame. Curious, he rose, bare feet padding softly against the cold floor.

He walked into the living room, looking around. Still no sign of the shark. His search eventually led him into the kitchen. It was there that he spotted a note taped to the fridge. He walked over and pulled it off, eyes scanning over the words quickly. "Itachi, I'm going to school. Don't worry; your dad thinks you're sick again. Just relax until I get home, alright? Kisame."

Itachi chanced a look at the microwave clock. It was about 12:30. He had a while to go before Kisame came home.

Home. Had he honestly just called this place his home? Well, in every sense of the word, it was. This was his safe zone, his refuge from the outside world, and where his heart lay.

These thoughts filling his head, Itachi walked into the living room. With any luck, he'd be able to find a channel without soap operas on.

Kisame walked through the apartment door later that afternoon, looking worn out. "Honey, I'm home," he muttered, cutting walking through the kitchen and into the living room.

Itachi was curled up on the couch, focused on some game show. He looked up when the shark entered the room. "School?"

"Lousy," Kisame replied, flopping down next to the weasel. "You have no idea how much it sucks when you're not there."

"Hn," Itachi replied, scooting closer to the shark. "I missed you," he said. Kisame gave the weasel a surprised look. "I did," Itachi went on. "Like you said; it sucks when you're not here."

Kisame wasn't entirely sure who it was that made the next move. All he knew was that his lips were now pressed against Itachi's.

Itachi's arms wrapped around Kisame's neck, pulling him closer, head tilting to the side. Kisame wrapped an arm around the weasel's waist, his other hand desperately trying to get rid of Itachi's hair tie.

Itachi fell backwards onto the couch, forcing Kisame to release his grip on the Uchiha's waist to keep from crushing him. Itachi opened his mouth, letting Kisame's tongue in, pushing against him in a fight for dominance. "Mmmm…" Itachi arched up, trying to press his body against Kisame's.

Kisame's free hand had made its way under the Uchiha's shirt, fingertips brushing over his stomach and chest, making Itachi shiver. Distracted, Itachi lost the battle for dominance, letting Kisame have full range of his mouth, tongue exploring the moist cavern, memorizing each detail.

Breaking away for air, Itachi's hands released their grip on the shark's neck, sliding down to grasp the hem of his shirt, pulling it up. Kisame wasted no time in pulling it all the way off, tossing it onto the floor. He sat up, hands reaching down to grab Itachi's shirt, pulling it up and off the weasel.

A curious look crossed Itachi's face, and he gently reached up, extending a hand to touch Kisame's abs. His fingers splayed out, and he slowly slid his hand up the shark's chest, his touch as light as a ghost's. "Angel," Kisame breathed, shuddering at his love's gentle touches.

"Bed," Itachi commanded. Nodding, the shark rose from the couch, leading his soon-to-be lover out of the room.

They stumbled through the door, lips locked, Kisame leading them to the bed. They fell, Itachi landing on his back, panting as Kisame pulled away. His lips kissed their way down Itachi's cheek, his neck, and his collarbone, biting here and there, too gently to leave any marks. His hands were now roaming all over the Uchiha's torso, squeezing the soft flesh of his waist, then brushing over his well-toned stomach. A small moan escaped Itachi, eyes drooping half shut. "Kisame…"

Kisame's hands made their way lower, fingering along the hem line of Itachi's pants before moving to undo the pesky article of clothing. The weasel reached up, fingers moving to Kisame's pants, undoing them as the shark pulled the last shreds of clothing off Itachi.

He slid his fingers over the pale flesh of Itachi's inner thigh, watching as the weasel jerked slightly from his movements. Apparently his angel was sensitive around that area.

His grip tightened, nails gently digging in, leaving red marks along the near-white skin. "Ahhh," Itachi moaned, looking to his boyfriend with lustful eyes. "Kisame," he whispered, voice husky. "Hurry up."

Kisame's movements abruptly stopped. That was right. He was going to have to be the one who made the final move in this. He'd promised this to Itachi…but what if the weasel looked back on this and realized it was a mistake? What would he do then?

Itachi noticed the shark's hesitation and sat up, wrapping his arms around Kisame's neck, pressing his lips gently to the shark's. "Go on," he said, grinding his hips into the shark, heated flesh pressing together.

Nodding, Kisame reached into the drawer of his bedside table, extracting a tube of something. Trying not to blush, he opened the top and spread some fluid over his fingers. Ah, lubricant.

Wordlessly Itachi turned around, getting on all fours, back to the shark. Kisame wrapped one arm around the Uchiha's waist to hold him steady, before gently pushing a finger in.

Itachi bit his lip, wincing from the intrusion. He shut his eyes when another finger was added, stretching him further. He let out a small whimper, fingers gripping the sheets beneath him. This hurt, but in a good way.

He gently pushed back against the fingers, letting Kisame know that he'd adjusted. The shark pulled his fingers out, using both hands to push his boxers and jeans off his body. He grabbed Itachi by the waist, bring him closer, brushing the tip of his erection over the weasel's entrance before thrusting in.

Itachi's eyes went wide, mouth opening in a silent scream. His fists tightened their hold on the sheets, toes curling in pain. Kisame leaned forward, kissing the nape of Itachi's neck, muttering soft words of comfort.

Itachi felt the shark slowly pull out, then thrust back in, making the Uchiha cry out. Kisame slammed into him again, pace quickening.

"Ki…sa…" Itachi panted, twisting the bed sheets, threatening to rip a hole in them. His body jerked from the force of Kisame's thrusts, lust filled eyes screwed shut. This was the most amazing feeling he'd ever experienced; like every ounce of pleasure he'd ever felt was coming back full force, until he thought he'd burst. Stars flooded his vision after a well-aimed thrust from Kisame, making him scream. Kisame seemed to take the hint and aimed for that spot. It didn't take much to set Itachi off after that, and he climaxed moments later, shaking and panting. Kisame let out a moan and climaxed inside his lover moments later.

Itachi's arms gave out then, his legs following suit. He felt the bed sink down behind him, and then Kisame's arms around him, pulling him to the shark's chest. He turned over, sliding up the bed to kiss him on the lips. "You ok, Itachi?" the shark whispered.

"Hn," Itachi whispered, shutting his eyes and pressing his face to the shark's chest. Kisame had once again managed to fix him. Heal another small piece of him. Provide the kind of comfort that he could never, ever expect of someone else…

"Angel?" Kisame whispered, eyes wide.

Itachi looked up at his lover, tearing running down his face.

"Itachi, what is it?!" Kisame asked, reaching up and brushing the tears away from the Uchiha's eyes. "Look, if I did something wrong-"

"Nothing's wrong, Kisame," Itachi replied, capturing the shark's hand with his own, pressing it to his cheek. "I just…feel better then I have in a long time." A smile made its way across his face, eyes traveling up to meet Kisame's. He released the shark's hand, wrapping his arms around Kisame's neck and kissing his boyfriend tenderly.

Kisame returned the kiss, arms wrapping around Itachi's waist. He wasn't entirely sure what he'd done to help Itachi, but if this was what helped the weasel, hell would freeze over before he objected to it.


	20. part 19

When Itachi woke up the next morning, he was lying on his stomach, his entire body sore.

He slowly opened his eyes, turning his head to look at Kisame. The shark was already awake, sitting upright and turning something over in his hands. "What's that?" Itachi asked quietly, pushing himself up.

Kisame cast a glance at Itachi. "I was just going through some of my old stuff. This was my mom's ring."

Itachi crawled partway into the shark's lap, eyeing the jewelry. "Wedding ring?"

"Dunno. She never said," Kisame replied, dropping the ring into the drawer in his bedside table. He rummaged around the drawer, finally pulling out an old photograph. "This is her."

Itachi took the picture, eyeing it carefully. The woman was kneeling on the ground, smiling broadly, arms wrapped around a small blue child, who looked rather embarrassed to be held by her. Itachi could see a few resemblances; their eyes were the same color, and the shark had definitely gotten her smile. The other features that belonged to his boyfriend must have come from his father. "She looks nice."

"She was. Until you made her mad. Then she'd tear you limb from limb with her bare teeth."

Itachi smirked at the words. "That explains your sharkiness," he said smartly.

"Shut up," Kisame replied, turning away. He really needed to learn how to choose his words carefully.

Itachi rolled out of Kisame's lap and back onto the bed, wincing as his rear landed on the mattress. He was definitely going to be aching for a while. "I need a bath," he said, climbing out of the bed and stretching. Kisame took in the sight in complete silence, watching as his lover made his way across and out of the room. He was tempted to follow after the weasel and shower with him, but that might have been a bit sudden for Itachi. Best to take things slowly and play this by ear for a while.

He slid back down under the covers of the blanket, looking to the ceiling. It was odd, to think that next door to his bedroom, his lover was washing off the remnants of their fun from last night. "It's official. I'm gay." He raised his hand, bringing the photo close to his face. "I wonder what you'd think, mom."

It didn't take too much imagination to know what his mother would say. Probably something along the lines of, _"Do what makes you happy, hun. But if you break his heart, you're dead." _Like he'd ever even dream of hurting the Uchiha. Itachi was his to love, not to break. Plain and simple.

Kisame sat up and returned the photo to its own in his drawer. He then looked up and nearly leapt out of his skin when he saw Itachi three feet away from him, pulling on an oversized shirt. "Geez angel!"

Itachi turned to his boyfriend, adjusting his damp hair and shooting the man a questioning look. "I didn't hear you come in," Kisame explained. "You're too quiet sometimes, you know?"

"Hn," Itachi replied, shrugging. He walked over to the bed, sitting on the edge of the mattress. "Breakfast?"

Kisame rolled his eyes and climbed out of bed. "One day, you're going to have to learn to cook for yourself." Itachi gave him a disbelieving look, following the shark out of the bedroom.

Ten minutes later the two were sitting at the table and eating fried eggs. As they finished their meal, loud rock music began playing. Itachi raised a brow, then got up and walked into the bedroom. Kisame heard the music stop, followed by the sound of the Uchiha speaking softly. When Itachi reemerged from the bedroom, his mouth was drawn in a tight line. "What's happened?" Kisame asked.

"Mom's in the hospital. She forgot to take her medication or something. I have to go home and look after Sasuke."

"Why don't you just bring him over here?"

Itachi couldn't have looked more shocked if Kisame had asked him to walk up to Suzu's front door and ring the bell.

"It's only for a little while, right? Besides, it's not like my place is that messy."

"Hn…"

"Alright, what's the problem now?"

"Sasuke isn't…he may not be…you're not…"

"He's going to freak out because of how I look, right?"

"Hn."

"So? We would have met eventually, right? Besides, I'm used to dealing with people staring at me."

"In public," Itachi argued. "But to invite that into your own home…"

"Itachi, you either bring the kid over and get to stay with me, or you have to suffer with having him around in an empty house. Those are your options."

--

"Why are we here?" Sasuke asked, looking around.

"Kisame lives here," Itachi replied.

"Your _boyfriend_?" Sasuke asked, smirking.

"Yes, my boyfriend." The younger teen froze, eyes widening as his mouth dropped open. "Come on," Itachi ordered.

"Aniki, are you serious?!"

"Hn."

"Why can't you just say yes or no?"

"Sasuke, you have to behave around Kisame," Itachi stated, ignoring his brother's question. "And try not to stare."

"Huh? Why would I-"

"You'll see." Itachi stopped in front of a door and knocked.

Moments later the door opened to reveal the shark. His eyes traveled down to Sasuke, who was gaping up at him. "I can definitely see the resemblance between you two. Although I think all the manners went to you, Itachi."

--

"Is he still staring at me?" Kisame asked, washing the dishes from dinner in the sink.

"I think so. Sorry," Itachi muttered, drying them off.

"It's ok. At least he hasn't made any fish jokes yet."

"I should have just gone home and stayed there."

"What? And waste precious time we could spend together?"

"Kisame, Sasuke has been staring at us all day. We've done nothing that counts as 'time together'."

"Good point." Kisame pulled the plate out of Itachi's hand and set it aside. "So how's about we fix that?" Itachi reached up and wrapped his arms around the shark's neck, pulling him down for a kiss.

Their lips had barely touched when Itachi's cell phone went off. Letting out twin sighs of frustration, the teens broke apart, Itachi reaching down to answer the call. "Hello? Hi father. Sasuke and I just went of for din-I had some pocket money-no, I didn't know you wanted us to stay home. We'll be there so-immediately." Itachi shut his phone, frowning as he tucked it back into his pocket. "We have to go."

"I gathered that," Kisame said, slipping his arms around Itachi's waist. "You have enough time for a goodbye kiss?" Nodding, the Uchiha stood on his toes, bringing his lips to Kisame's.

"Aniki? Was that-" Itachi pulled away to see his brother staring at them.

"Father called."

"Do we have to leave?"

"Hn."

"Just say yes or no," Sasuke grumbled, walking to the door.

"See you, angel," Kisame whispered, giving the weasel a quick peck on the lips before letting his lover walk off.

"See you," Itachi replied, leading his younger brother out the apartment door.


	21. part 20

It didn't look like Itachi's mother was going to get out of the hospital anytime soon, and the Uchiha's father refused to let the kids spend their evenings outside the house. He'd call every fifteen to thirty minutes on the house phone and demand to speak to both Uchiha siblings before hanging up.

The weasel was currently in his room, staring up at his ceiling in complete silence. He missed Kisame; it had been over a week since he'd been to the shark's apartment, and he was missing his boyfriend terribly.

The phone rang from outside his room, and he sighed as he rose to his feet, exiting the room.

Sasuke was already there, having picked up the phone. He was listening to his father speak, a frown on his face. "Here's Aniki," he said, quickly handing the phone to Itachi and bolting from the room.

"We're still here. Quit calling," Itachi muttered, slamming the phone down. He turned around and walked back up to his room, knowing full well that soon enough, he'd just have to return to the phone and endure a long, colorful lecture from his father about respect towards your elders.

"Angel, you look awful."

Itachi turned his head to glare up at the shark. "Your dad?" the shark asked.

"Hn," Itachi confirmed, returning his head to the dark sanctuary of his folded arms.

"I swear, I'm going to kill that guy one day," Kisame muttered, stabbing into the food he'd gotten from the cafeteria's lunch line.

"Hn," Itachi replied, a smile crossing his face.

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say there's not a chance in hell that you can come over tonight?"

"Mom's getting worse," the weasel replied, as if that would answer the question. Fortunately for him, it did.

Itachi was in the kitchen, making dinner for him and Sasuke. He frowned as the water on the stove finally came to a boil, allowing him to add the ramen. Kisame was right; he really did need to learn how to cook for himself.

As he waited for the noodles to cook, his thoughts turned to annoyance towards his father. The man had yet to call home tonight; if he had known that this was going to happen, he would have just accepted Kisame's offer to spend the night-

The door to the front of their house slammed, making Itachi raise a brow. Their father was home early? That never happened, especially not now that his wife was in the hospital. "Tachi, Sasuke!" a slurred voice called out, followed by the sound of a door shutting.

Itachi's eyes widened. Oh no.

He quickly shut off the burner on the stovetop and ran into the living room, where Sasuke was sitting and watching some sort of reality TV program. Itachi barely took notice of this as he grabbed his younger brother's forearm, yanking him up off the couch. "Aniki, what the-"

"Shh!" Itachi ordered, trying to drag his brother out of the room, only to be met with firm resistance.

"Itachi, are you alright?"

"Where the hell are you two?!" their father called out. Sasuke's eyes nearly popped out of his head at the voice.

Taking advantage of his brother's shock, Itachi dragged him down the hall, up the stairs, and into his room. He shut the door behind him and ran to the closet, jerking open the door. "Stay, and be quiet," he commanded, shoving Sasuke inside and slamming the door before his younger brother could protest.

His actions were not a moment too soon. He barely had time to turn around before the door to his room was thrown open, revealing a flushed Fugaku Uchiha. "Where the hell is your brother?" he demanded, words slurred as he approached the elder Uchiha sibling.

Itachi wrinkled his nose. He could smell the alcohol from here. Not good. "I gave him permission to spend the night at Naruto's."

"WHAT?!"

"Father, he needed-"

SLAP

"How dare you go against my orders!" the elder man bellowed, grabbing the weasel by his forearm. "Your mother's been sick, and you just go behind my back! You little punk," he spat out, slamming Itachi into the wall. The weasel had to bite back a small cry; there would be several lovely bruises on his arm and head in a few days. He sank to the ground, trying to block out his father's rant. "Going around, doing Kami knows what, while your mother dies in the hospital!"

"Mother's…dead?"

"Why else would I be here?!" A sob escaped the man as he turned around, stumbling forward. "My wife…she's gone…leaving me with two worthless sons…" he continued his wailing down the hallway, until he was out of hearing range. He'd probably gone to bed, or passed out on the couch.

Itachi slowly rose from the ground, clutching his head. "Sasuke, come out."

Slowly, his brother turned the doorknob, and stepped into the room. "Aniki?"

"Go to Naruto's house. Tell them I told you mom was getting better, so it was ok for you to spend the night."

"Aniki-"

"I'm going to Kisame's," the Uchiha stated, exiting the room before Sasuke could say anything else.

Half an hour later, he was at the door of an apartment, looking into the eyes of a horrified shark.


	22. part 21

"I'm going to kill him. I swear to Kami, I'm going to kill that bastard," Kisame growled, pressing an ice pack to the weasel's head. Itachi had been reluctant to say anything the night before, but when morning came, Kisame had gotten the weasel to tell him the whole story.

"Don't waste your time," Itachi muttered. "I can handle him."

"Like this?"

"Kisame, this doesn't happen that often."

"But it happens."

"It has happened before."

"See?! You can't just stay there-"

"Drop it," Itachi ordered.

"The hell I will!" Kisame snapped. "Your own dad came home, drunk, and threw you into a wall! Do you have any idea how fucked up that is?!"

"Yes, now drop it," Itachi repeated. "It doesn't concern you."

"Doesn't concern-Itachi, I am your boyfriend!"

"This is my life. Back off."

"You want to know something?" Kisame asked. "You are the most impossible person I've ever known!"

"Really?" Itachi asked sarcastically.

"Yes! I have to walk on eggshells around you because I never know what's going to set you off, I have no idea how that head of yours works, and when I try to do the right thing and protect you, you get all bitchy and defensive! What the hell is your problem?"

"Where should I start?" Itachi asked, rolling his eyes.

"What is wrong with you?!"

"Up until this moment, nothing."

"Tch, that's a good one. You're always depressed, cold, alone, and you never open up unless you have to!"

"I'm a distant and emotionless bastard," Itachi stated.

"Took the words right out of my mouth," Kisame muttered, just loud enough fro the weasel to hear.

"If I'm so hard to deal with, then dump me!" Itachi ordered, temper flaring.

"You only say that because you know I won't!" Kisame screamed.

"Then what do you want me to do?!"

"Get out of here!" Kisame commanded, pointing violently to the door. Itachi curled his hands into fists and silently stormed to the door, opening it and slamming it shut behind him.

The weasel was able to make it to the end of the hall before the full weight of what had happened hit him.

Kisame had dumped him. He'd thrown everything that was wrong with Itachi back into his face, thrown him out, and dumped him.

Itachi felt like his world was caving in. A huge ache began to swell in his chest, consuming his entire being swiftly. He grabbed his chest, as if hoping to soothe the pain, eyes screwing shut. His mind was desperately trying to wrap itself around the concept of no more Kisame; no, that couldn't be right. Kisame _couldn't_ be gone. Not after everything that had happened. Not after everything they'd said, shared, and done. Not after all those promises, those words, those-

Itachi began walking down the stairs, hoping to make it home before this turned into a full on breakdown.

Itachi's mind barely processed what it was doing as he pulled out his List for Living, opening it to the current page. He picked up his pen and crossed out nearly every item on the pro side, before turning his attention to the cons. Slowly, deliberately, he wrote in his ever-so-neat scrawl, 'Kisame hates me."

Kisame hates me. Those three little words make the fight at the shark's apartment all the more real, and all the more painful. Itachi shut his eyes, a futile attempt to shut out the pain. Kami, he was so stupid. Kisame'd done everything for him, and then some. He'd royally screwed this up, and now, he had to pay the price.

He climbed off his bed and walked into the bathroom, feeling sick to his stomach. With his luck, he'd throw up.

KNOCK KNOCK

Fugaku grumbled to himself as he rose from the couch and walked to the front door. His good for nothing older son had just gotten home, waking him up, and now someone else was at the door. This just wasn't his day. He grabbed the doorknob and opened the door-

And stared up into the face of a shark.

Kisame tried to ignore the man's stupefied look as he gathered up the courage to speak. "Is Itachi home?"

"Why do you want to know?" Fugaku asked suspiciously.

"Please, I need to speak to him! I'm Kisame-"

"Fine, fine," the man muttered, opening the door all the way. "He's upstairs. Just stay quiet, my head hurts."

"_I'll bet it does, you sick bastard,"_ Kisame thought, walking down the hall and up the stairs.

There were only two rooms upstairs, and since the first one was covered in "Keep Out" signs, Kisame assumed that the other belonged to Itachi. He walked up to the door, slowly opening it and stepping in.

The room had a dresser, a bed, a table by the bed, and that was it. The room was barren of decorations, and looked more like a hotel room than anything else. "Itachi?" Kisame asked, stepping further in to look around. He could now see that the room held a closet, door partially opened to expose the black clothing inside.

Just then, he noticed another door. A bathroom, maybe? Cautiously, the shark walked up to it, knocking. "Itachi, are you in there?" No answer.

Kisame didn't like this. Something felt wrong here. He grabbed the knob and turned it, pushing the door open.

Itachi was slumped limply over the side of the bathtub.

Kisame all but ran over to his boyfriend. "Ange-" the word caught in his throat, body freezing up soon after.

The bottom of the tub had blood all over it, pouring out of a horizontal slit in Itachi's wrist. Beside the unconscious teen's other hand lay a discarded razor blade. "ANGEL!"


	23. part 22

The next half-hour of Kisame's life was a blur. Fugaku had come into the bathroom, probably to tell Kisame to shut up, and seen hsi son. The medics were called, the father drove off in a car to pick up Sasuke, and the ambulance to the Uchiha away. None of that truly registered in the shark's mind, except for four words one of the medics had said when they found Itachi.

He has a pulse.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~hours later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kisame walked briskly down the hall of the ICU, trying not to draw attention to himself and failing miserably. He'd just hiked all the way across town to get to the hospital, and he really didn't feel like putting up with patients gawking at him.

As he turned another corner, he saw a familiar teen sitting outside the door of one room. His pace quickened as he walked to the kid, stopping beside him. "How is he?"

Sasuke looked up at Kisame, a haggard expression on his face. "Bad. He's better, but it's really bad."

"Where's your dad?"

"Dunno," Sasuke replied, drawing his legs close to his chest. "He left."

"He left?!"

"Uh-huh. Something about talking to our out of town relatives," the younger teen replied, eys focusing on his knees.

"...Sasuke," Kisame began, kneeling down. "you're really torn up about this, aren't you?" Kami, why did he always have to ask such stupid questions?

To his surprise, the younger Uchiha sibling nodded, and his body began to tremble. "Aniki's not supposed to be like this," he whispered, a sob punctuating his statement. "Dammit, he's not supposed to be here! He supposed to be at home, ignoring us or tellign me to go away! Not lying out cold in a hospital bed with all those tubes in him, and nurses coming in every ten minutes to make sure he hasn't ki...kill..." The teen couldn't finish his sentence and broke into sobs, curling up into a tight ball.

Kisame waited quietly for the boy to finish shedding his tears, sending death glares towards anyone who dared get too close to the teenagers. "You really care about your brother, don't you?" he finally asked.

The Uchiha nodded, sniffling and wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. "He always took care of me when I was little. It was really annoying sometimes. But he had to, 'cause mom was always screwed up, and dad was...well, dad."

"Does your old man get drunk alot?" Kisame prodded.

Sasuke shook his head. "No. It's only happened twice."

"When was the other time?"

"When I was five, one of our relatives ran off. I think his name was Madara. Anyway, he and dad were really close, so dad got upset and went out drinking. He came home drunk out of his skull.

I didn't know something was wrong until I heard him shout. His voice was slurred, and he sounded mad. Itachi grabbed my arm and dragged me up to his room. I didn't even have a chance to ask what was wrong until he shoved me into his closet and told me to stay quiet.

Dad was upstairs a few minutes later. He yelled at Itachi forever, and I heard a bunch of thumps as well. When he finally went away and I came out, Itachi looked awful."

"That bastard," Kisame growled, clenching his fists.

"I was so mad at Aniki," Sasuke went on, his eyes darkening. "Dad was only mad because he couldn't find me, so Itachi had gotten beat up for nothing. I was so sick of him always having to take care of me...so, I started acting like I hated Itachi. I wanted to get strong without his help.

But then, when dad came home drunk again because mom died, the exact same thing happened," Sasuke choked out, voice breaking at the end. "I couldn't do anything to help him. I just hid like a coward. And now he's in the hospital because he tried to kill himself!" A few more sobs left the boy. Kisame could only extend a hand and gently rub his back. "Kisame, what'd I do?" Sasuke asked, not looking at the shark.

"Absolutely nothing. This is my fault."

"How?" Sasuke asked, looking to the older teen for an answer.

"Because I was supposed to take care of Itachi. But all I did was break him. And i don't think I can fix him now," Kisame explained, retracting his hand and rising to his feet.

"Huh?"

Kisame sighed, turning to walk back down the hall. "I love him, but I made angel think I hate him."

"Angel?"

The shark grinned. "Yeah. Your brother's a real angel, you know?" With that said, he walked down the hall, out of the hospital, and began the long trek back to his apartment.


	24. part 23

Not deep enough. That's what the nurses and doctors kept saying. Thank goodness the cuts weren't deep enough. How fortunate he was that the wound wasn't deep enough. It almost made him sick.

His whole life had been nothing but pain. Children at school, relatives at home, even people on the streets; all of them stabbed him over and over again, cutting the vulnerable ould he couldn't protect.

Shisui had been there to heal the cuts, only to leave even worse ones when he left. And then, when he died...Itachi was certain something huge and irreplaceable had been ripped from his being for all  
eternity.

Years passed, with no change in the cruelty of others towards him. His mind began to crumble, along with his spirit. Finally, he'd given himself cuts on the arms. Now he had scars on his mind, body, and soul.

Things had changed again when Kisame came. He wasn't sure how the blue man had done it, but Kisame had been able to heal many of the wounds he carried on the inside, and prevented more from appearing on the outside. Fear, hate, and indifference were all replaced by joy and love. And then, just like that, it was all jerked out from underneath his feet.

His heart twisted at the memory of being thrown out of the shark's apartment. He wished he could have just smashed into a million pieces right then and there, like what had happened to his heart. But no, that would have been too easy, too kind a fate for this teen. He'd gone home, thought things over, and sliced his wrist, only to wake up in the hospital the next day. The cut hadn't been deep enough, and he hadn't bled out before help arrived.

He been cut by children and teens, sliced by his family, stabbed by Shisui, and shattered by Kisame. The cuts weren't deep enough. Oh, how little these doctors knew.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kisame took a deep breath as he walked into the hospital. He'd stayed home from school today, knowing that he wouldn't be able to concentrate on any of his classes until he saw the weasel.

His feet carried him straight to the ICU, stopping outside the doorway Sasuke had been sitting by the day before. He had to talk to Itachi while he was still in the hospital, because there was no way in hell he'd be able to go back to the Uchihas' house and try to speak to him there. Not after what had happened. Taking a deep breath, Kisame stepped into the room.

Itachi was sitting up in bed. He was staring out the window, eyes unfocused, an untouched tray of food lying on the cart beside his bed.

Kisame walked across the room, footsteps echoing through the otherwise silent room. He noted that the machines that Sasuke claimed were hooked up to Itachi were now gone, probably since the Uchiha was out of immediate danger. "Itachi."

The Uchiha turned at the sound of Kisame's voice, a blank look still on his face. Kisame felt something sink in his heart; he'd been hoping to get some reaction from the weasel, even if it was only a glare or hateful words.

The shark stopped near the edge of the bed, his back to the door. He wasn't sure how to start, but it was obvious that the weasel wasn't going to speak until Kisame did, and maybe not even then. "Itachi, I swear, I'd never have acted like such a bastard if I had known you'd do this." No reaction, no reply. "Itachi, I let our fight get WAY out of hand. I just wasn't thinking!" Wow, how pathetic could you get? "I didn't know you'd try to kill yourself. When i walked into the bathroom and saw you there-"

"You were in my room?" the Uchiha asked, a hint of surprise in his voice.

"Yes. I came over to apologize for our fight, and I found you in the bathroom.I had to call the ambulance and everything, because you dad was in shock. I tried coming here yesterday to talk, but you were still out..." the rest of his words were lost as Itachi thought back to the day before.

_"Is father coming here?" he asked quietly._

"No," Sasuke replied. The two of them were alone in the hospital room.

"Good."

"Your boyfriend came by earlier."

"..."

"He was talking funny. He said something like he'd broken you, even though he loved you."

"..."

"I'm just telling you what I heard."

"Hn."

"Hey, I have to go. See you tomorrow?"

"Hn."  
  
"Angel..." Itachi was drawn back to the present at the sound of his nickname. Something was wrong with how Kisame said it; his voice was soft, and a bit...shaky?

"Angel, I am so fucking sorry for doing this to you," Kisame whispered, bringing a hand up to his face and covering his eyes. Itachi frowned when he saw the shark begin to shake. Something was very wrong here.

He reached up to pull Kisame's hand away, only to fail miserably. Kisame was definately stronger than he. Itachi reached up with both hands and yanked on Kisame's arm, wanting the shark to look him in the eye.

For the first time, Itachi could see tears in Kisame's eyes.

He blinked a few times, trying to decide whether or not he was seeing things. The Uchiha gently reached up, brushing away a tear with his fingertip. He could feel the liquid now, leaving no doubt in his mind  
that the shark was crying. Crying for him. "Kisa-"

"What is he doing here?!"

Both teens looked to the door, seeing an angry Fugaku standing before him. "I left instructions that only family members could visit! Itachi, you idiot, I told you that before I left this morning! But, I guess that a worthless little-"

Itachi didn't even see Kisame move before he was across the room, holding the weasel's father against the wall by his throat. "Don't you dare insult my angel," the shark spat out. He dragged Fugaku to the door and chucked him into the hallway, shutting the door afterwards and locking it. For extra security, he grabbed a chair and wedged it under the knob, sealing the room shut. "Damn, I guess I have to make this quick."

He quickly returned to Itachi's side, plopping himself down on the bed. "Itachi," he said, grabbing the weasel's hand, "I love you. Moreover, I am madly in love with you."

"Ki-"

"Open this door!" a voice bellowed, jiggling the knob on the door to no avail.

"Angel, I know I screwed up. Hell, I screw up on a daily basis around you. But you have to believe me; there is nothing I want more than to make you happy."

"If you don't open this door, we're going to break it down!"

"If you still care about me at all, come to my place when you get out. Or just forget me and move on."

"We're going to break down this door!" Several thumps followed, and the wooden door began to split out of it's frame.

"That's my cue," Kisame muttered, rising from the bed and hurrying to the window. He soon had it opened, and was ready to go. However, instead of leaving, he returned to the weasel's side, pressing his lips quickly to the Uchiha's. "Bye angel." Without another word, he rushed to the window and jumped out.

It was then that Itachi remembered that they were on the second floor.

He heard a thud, followed by swearing. Two seconds later the door was broken down, hospital security running into the room, looking around. "Where is he?!"

"I don't see him!"

"He must have jumped!"

"Well he couldn't have gone far. Spread out and find him!" As quickly as they'd come, they were gone.

Minutes passed in complete silence, broken only by Sasuke entering the room. "Itachi, what just happened? Dad's swearing, security's going nuts, and your door's busted."

Itachi looked to the door, then the window, and finally back to Sasuke. Without any warning at all, he suddenly broke out into uncontrollable laughter.

"ANIKI?!"

Itachi was doubled over, arms clenching his stomach. "I swear, I will never know what's going on in that shark's head," he stated, smiling to himself as he gazed out the window.


	25. part 24

Itachi slowly walked down the hallway of the apartment building. The entire floor was quiet, as if waiting to see what he would do, and not wanting to cause any distractions.

But what _would_ he do? He couldn't just walk up to Kisame's door, walk inside, and act like absolutely nothing had happened. Not after everything he'd done; both to himself, and the shark.

In fact, had it not been for the shark's visit, Itachi probably would have just gone home, locked himself in his room, and waited patiently for death to come upon him. But Kisame had come to see him. And more importantly, he'd said the words that Itachi had wanted, no, needed to hear. I love you.

Those three little words were something Itachi had never expected to hear directed towards him. At least, not with any true meaning behind them. But, when Kisame finally spoke that phrase, there had been honesty behind it. Genuine affection. Something equal to what Itachi felt for the shark.

So here he was, standing outside the shark's door, hand raised as if to knock, but hovering just above the wood. Why couldn't he do this? What was preventing the Uchiha from just going inside and speaking to the love of his life?

Simple. It was fear.

The fear that he'd been lied to. The fear that Kisame would decide that he didn't really care for the Uchiha. The fear that now, just as he'd been able to pull himself somewhat together, he'd be ripped apart again.

Itachi sighed, leaning forward and resting his head against the cool wood. He couldn't go in; and yet, he couldn't walk off. What now?

His answer came in the form of the door opening, making him tumble into the shark's apartment. Fortunately for him, Kisame caught the weasel with one arm. "Whoa, sorry! I didn't mean-Itachi?" he asked in surprise. The Uchiha was the last person he'd expected to see on the other side of his door.

For a moment, Itachi couldn't move. Rather, he didn't want to move. He was being supported by Kisame's arm, held close to the shark's chest, and could feel warmth his lover was giving off. Kami, he'd missed this. "Angel?"

The weasel looked up at the shark, an emotionless look on his face. Slowly, he stood on the tips of his toes and gave the taller man a peck on the lips. Failing to get a reaction, he kissed the shark again this time making it last longer, as well as getting the taller man to respond. By the time Itachi kissed the shark a third time, Kisame's mouth was working against his own.

The weasel heard the door shut, and seconds later his back was pressed against it. One of Kisame's hands was pressed against the wood by his head, while the other slid under his shirt, fingers running over Itachi's smooth flesh. Itachi whimpered, body shivering slightly at the sensation.

Kisame quickly discarded the Uchiha's shirt, tossing it away. His eyes roamed over the newly exposed flesh, drinking in the sight he'd long been denied of. He leaned in and began nipping at the weasel's neck, leaving small love bites down to his collarbone.

Itachi was panting now, a blush covering his cheeks. He moaned when he felt the shark's leg move in between his own, rubbing against his crotch and making his pants feel tighter than before.

Kisame returned his mouth to Itachi's, kissing him lustfully. The Uchiha squeaked when he felt one of Kisame's hands slide up his chest and pinch his nipple, twisting it slightly. His own arms slid up Kisame's body, wrapping around his neck and tugging at the shark's blue locks, pressing their bodies closer together. "You want more?" Kisame asked, panting.

Itachi nodded, releasing his grip on Kisame to undo the shark's pants. Kisame quickly kicked away the clothing before undressing the Uchiha.

Itachi grabbed Kisame's hand and brought two fingers to his lips, kissing them gently before taking them into this mouth. He sucked on the digits, tongue playfully circling them both in turn. Finally, he opened his mouth, a thin trail of saliva connecting the fingers to him.

Kisame positioned his fingers between the weasel's legs and pushed in. Itachi cried out softly, nails scraping against the wooden door as his toes curled in pain. Kisame began thrusting the digits into him, making him moan louder than before. His hand reached down and pushed against Kisame's, trying to push the shark deeper into him.

Kisame withdrew his fingers and spread Itachi's legs apart before roughly thrusting in. The weasel cried out, back arching, as his nails left scratches on the door, trying desperately to dig into the wood. His eyes shut, mouth hanging open as he panted for air. Kisame pulled out, then thrust back in.

Itachi's breathing became shaky as Kisame built up a rhythm. His head rolled to the side, body jerking with each thrust, hands moving to wrap around the shark. He was gasping for breath now, screams escaping him whenever the shark hit his sweet spot. "Harder!" he begged, voice barely audible.

Kisame complied, slamming into the Uchiha again and again, mouth now pressed firmly against Itachi's.

Itachi was getting closer and closer to losing it, body consumed by the overwhelming pleasure Kisame was giving him. His breathing was harsher, and more erratic than before, and beads of sweat covered his entire body. He felt that blissful edge approaching, and screamed as he finally reached his climax, covering both their stomachs in his seed. He heard Kisame groan as the shark released inside him, finally stopping his thrusts.

Itachi's body was shaking from his orgasm, and he was still gasping for air when Kisame pulled out. Moments later the shark had picked him up and was carrying him deeper into the apartment. Itachi watched as they entered the shark's bedroom, and gently flopped down when Kisame set him on the bed.

The shark moved under the covers, pulling back the blanket for Itachi a moment later. The weasel crawled under the blanket as well and scooted closer to Kisame, snuggling against the shark. Kisame wrapped an arm around his waist, the other hand stroking Itachi's head. "Angel?"

"Hn?"

"Is there something you wanted to tell me when you came here?"

Itachi took a moment to think about that. Finally, he opened his mouth and began talking. He told Kisame everything; from his earliest memories of his mother's illness, to taking care of Sasuke, to having to deal with being gay in school, to accepting his father's hatred, to Shisui's death, to becoming depressed and cutting, to having his brother hate him, to meeting the shark, and everything in between. Kisame didn't speak; he only nodded and held the weasel as everything that had been bottled up inside the Uchiha for so long was brought to the surface. "Wow, angel," he whispered when Itachi had finished.

"Sad, right?"

"You really are an angel trapped in hell."

Itachi smiled and nuzzled into the shark's chest. "I don't consider this hell."

"You're crazy, angel."

"But you still love me."

"Of course," Kisame said, kissing Itachi on the head. "How could I not?"

"I love you too."


	26. epilogue

Kisame looked down at the weasel sleeping by his side. Itachi looked so much more peaceful when he slept, unconsciousness freeing him from the world he lived in, and all the trouble that came with it.

Kisame's mind was going over everything that had transpired between the two over the course of the last few weeks. Sex, love, near death, confessions, more sex, and a complete story of the weasel's life, as told by himself. When had life gotten so complicated?

Simple. When he'd agreed to go out with Itachi. When he'd fallen in love. When he'd found out the hard way what happens when you break something as fragile as a human heart. All of that mixed together left the shark full of confusion, and uncertainty as to what his next move should be.

Well, that wasn't exactly true. He knew that the next thing he'd do would be to stay with the Uchiha for the rest of eternity, if not longer. He'd sooner kill himself than put the weasel through that kind of pain again. Ok, that was a poor choice of words on his part, but that didn't make it any less true.

The issue with his plan was the fact that he doubted he could convince the weasel of his devotion. Distrust and fear were rooted in Itachi's injured soul, and removing them would be no small feat.

He sighed and moved closer to the Uchiha, pulling him to his chest, smiling when he felt the smaller man nuzzle against him before returning to his slumber. _"This is how it should be," _he decided. _"Angel sleeping in my arms, me holding him, and both of us trying to block out the real world for a little while. But what do I do when he wakes up? What would mom-"_ an idea hit him so fast his started, waking the sleeping teen in his arms.

Itachi groaned softly, eyes opening halfway to look up at the shark before him. "Kisa?" he asked sleepily.

The shark didn't respond; instead, he released Itachi and rolled over, arms shooting out to open the drawer to his bedside table. Unfortunately, he turned over to rapidly, and managed to roll out of bed, crashing to the ground with a loud "OOF!"

Now the weasel was fully awake, and curious to see what his boyfriend was going to do this time. Kisame began rifling through the drawer, muttering softly, a few curses escaping now and again. Finally, a triumphant look crossed his face, and he extracted the item he'd been looking for. "Kisame?"

The shark looked to him and smiled, moving closer to the bed. He motioned for the weasel to come closer, never saying a word. The Uchiha raised a brow but obeyed, still curious as to where this was going.

Kisame suddenly held his item up for Itachi to see. It was his mother's ring. "Angel…will you marry me?"

Itachi's eyes widened a fraction of an inch. For a moment, he couldn't respond, too shocked to even think straight. After what was nothing short of a lifetime to the shark, he began nodding his head up and down, slowly at first, then more rapidly as a smile made its way across his face. "Yes, Kisame."

An ear to ear grin broke out on Kisame's face, and he quickly grabbed the weasel's hand, pulling it closer and slipping on the ring. Tragically, he pulled on the arm Itachi was propped up on, and consequently sent the Uchiha face first onto the mattress. "Sorry angel!" the shark said, mentally kicking himself.

The weasel merely sat back up and crawled to Kisame, wrapping his arms around the shark's neck and giving him a loving kiss. When they broke apart, he was smiling. "Go make breakfast."

~~~~~~~~~~~~months go by~~~~~~~~~~~~

The door to the apartment opened and shut, informing Itachi that his boyfriend had finally returned home. He hopped off the couch and walked into the kitchen, where Kisame was putting up the groceries he'd gone out to buy.

He quietly snuck up behind the shark, wrapping his arms tightly around the taller man's chest. "Hello, angel," Kisame said without turning around.

"Ramen?"

"Yup. I got the beef flavored stuff, just like you wanted." Itachi nuzzled his face into Kisame's back appreciatively. "Plus, I picked up these for you."

Itachi released the shark, allowing him to turn around and show the weasel a brown paper bag. He opened the top, letting Itachi see the sticks of dango within it. "Happy birthday, angel."

Today was a special day for hem both. Itachi's eighteenth birthday. The day he was finally a legal adult, and free to leave his family for good. Furthermore, he was free to marry without a parent's consent now.

Itachi took the dango from Kisame, immediately extracting one stick and munching on the sweet soya balls. "So, what now?" Kisame asked.

Itachi heard the double meaning in his question. The shark wanted to know what they'd do with heir lives. How they'd get by, where they'd work, if they'd stay here and move elsewhere, and everything else that life would throw at them.

Itachi had already formed a few plans. They'd both need jobs, and he was going to see about contacting Madara. If nothing else, maybe their long lost relative could help him get Sasuke away from their father, or give him and Kisame a little financial aid.

But, for now…"We're going to watch a movie," Itachi said, grabbing his soon-to-be husband's hand and dragging him into the living room. The two of them were soon curled up on the couch, watching a movie as Itachi curled up in Kisame's arms.

For the first time, Itachi believed Kisame when he called the Uchiha an angel. After all, angels were the beings that lived in heaven, right? And that was most definitely where Itachi was right now.


End file.
